Jellal the tsundere
by ErinTheOtaku
Summary: Jellal hasn't seen Erza since the Grand Magic Games and he has missed her every day. But now that he can finally see her again, will everything run smoothly? Or will his doubt and tsundere side get in the way? (As you can see I'm not good at titles!) You know the drill, if you like it or wanna give some feedback good or bad review away! :)
1. Chapter 1

The land outside zooms past me as the train rattles along its tracks. I hear the voice of the train announcer over the speakers, informing everyone that the train will be stopping in Magnolia in five minutes. Finally, I'll get to see her. I'll get to see Erza. Ever since the fiasco at the grand magic games we haven't even spoken, let alone gotten to see each other. After all the dragons went back to their own time and we were left in peace again, everyone went their separate ways. Fleeting goodbyes were said, and I had to part from Erza one more time. Meldy and I searched for Ultear for so long, but we never found her. It's not like I wasn't affected by her disappearance, but my despair at losing her was nowhere near Meldy's. She would cry every night we failed to find her, no matter what I did I couldn't console her. I was never enough to heal her heart. Eventually we had to give up, there was nothing more we could do. I felt bad about leaving Meldy alone, but I missed Erza so much I felt like my heart was going to burst. So here I am, on my way to Fairy Tail, Meldy tagging along. Maybe she'll be able to find some console in the members of Fairy Tail, now that I think about it, her and Juvia got along pretty well. I wonder if she'll be able to help her.

"Did you hear that Jellal? We're almost there!" Her voice pulls my eyes back into the cart of the train, when I see her face she actually looks ok. It's the most stable I've seen her since Ultear. I wonder if the thought of visiting Fairy Tail has got her spirits up?

"Yeah, I heard. Only a little bit more to go. Anyway, how are you doing? You seem... good." Meldy actually flashes me a smile, I'm really glad to finally see her like this.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing Juvia. She's a good friend to me, it'll be nice to see her after so long. Plus, I need to see if she's progressed at all with Gray!" This time she gives me a laugh, I guess Juvia must really be special to her.

"If those two aren't already a couple then there's something wrong with Gray." I laugh off my comment, but it makes me think of my own situation with Erza, why aren't we a couple? I mean, if I had confessed to her and she said no, then I would understand. But I haven't told her anything. Geez, I'm just as bad as Gray, hiding my feelings like this.

"Well, what about you and Erza? Why aren't you two a couple already?" It's as if she looked at my face and read into my mind. Am I really that easy to read? I can feel my cheeks getting hot, changing colour to match the tattoo on my face.

"We haven't seen each other since the grand magic games, and anyway, it's none of your business!" My response gains me yet another laugh from her. I'm happy she's starting to get into her own self, but does it have to be at my expense?

"If you say so, tsundere." An audible gasp escapes my mouth. Tsundere? Me? I try to argue back but all I manage to do is flap my mouth like a fish out of water.

"Don't worry Jellal, I won't push you to talk when you don't want to. It's only right, you did the same for me." Her light-hearted tone turns into a more serious one, I can tell she understands that I'm not really comfortable talking about Erza, and she respects that. She's a good kid.

"Thanks, Meldy." This time I'm the one who smiles, just a small one, but a smile nonetheless.

"Anytime, Jellal." Even though she's going through so much pain even now, her words are able to reassure me.

"Attention passengers, the train has arrived in Magnolia. All passengers destined for Magnolia please depart now." The train starts to slow down, the sound of the wheels on the tracks piercing in my ears. The train finally comes to a stop, and Meldy and I begin the last stretch of our journey to Fairy Tail. Meldy manages to hold a conversation with me the whole time without bringing up anything about Ultear, what happened with the dragons or anything else depressing. She's made so much progress, I really am proud of her. When we finally reach Fairy Tail I'm almost too nervous to go in. I've waited to see her for so long, but what if she doesn't want to see me? I stand in front the guild, wondering if it's ok for me to just walk in there, even though I'm not a member of the guild. Meldy notices that I've stopped walking and pauses to look back at me.

"Jellal? You ok?" She asks me in a worried tone, she knows how nervous I am to see Erza again after all.

"Uh, Yeah, sorry. I'm fine, just… thinking." I manage to blurt out a response. Before she gets a chance to reply two familiar faces burst out of the guild door.

"Jellal! What are you doing here? Wanna fight me?" Natsu yells out in a very Natsu-like fashion.

"I think he's here to see Erza. He liiiiikes her." Happy sniggers as he hovers just above my reach. I swear if he was just a little bit lower I would give him a hell of a beating. How could he just announce that to the world so calmly? He makes me so irritated!

"Happy! I don't like Erza! And anyway, say it normally!" I shout at the cat, my response only gets another snigger from him, clearly I've played right into his plan by getting annoyed and defensive.

"But Jellal is a tsundere, I know you liiiiike her!" I am unable to hold back my urge to punch him. I run at him and jump into the sky, but just as I am about to grab him he ascends higher, far beyond my reach.

"Happy!" I scream even louder, the doors to the guild open once more and out walks Lucy, Wendy and Erza. For a second I forget everything else occupying my mind. My Erza is finally in front of me. I can't help but blush. Then I am pulled back to reality when the cursed cat laughs even harder and floats over to Erza.

"See Erza, he blushed when he saw you, but he said he doesn't like you! Don't you think he's a tsundere?" I can't take this anymore! I've been at Fairy Tail for roughly 2 minutes and Happy has infuriated me and embarrassed me in front of Erza!

"That's the second time someone has called me that today and I am sick of it! I am NOT a tsundere and I DON'T like Erza!" I scream at Happy before storming off, I turn around and don't look back.

"Wait, Jellal!" Erza yells after me, it takes all my strength not to go running back to her. But if I stay any longer Happy will ruin everything! He's already ruined the reunion I waited for for so long, and looked forward to so much, but he could ruin me and Erza's relationship entirely!

"Je-" Meldy starts to call out to me, before realising it's no use. I look back for a second to see her bowing to the members of Fairy Tail. "I'm sorry about him!" Once she finishes talking she comes running up to me to catch up, I try to ignore her but it doesn't stop her from talking.

"What was that? You wanted to see her for so long! I heard you mumble her name while you were sleeping every night! And now that you're finally able to see her again you're running away?" She says every word like she's accusing me, and she has every right to. I'm a coward, an insufferable coward.

"I was afraid, ok? Is that good enough for you? Happy was saying all those things, what was I suppose to do but deny them? Of course I like Erza, damn, I love her! But I can't actually say it! Not to her! What was I supposed to do?" Even as I'm talking I know that none of this is Meldy's fault, but that doesn't stop me from taking my anger out on her. More than anything right now, I need to vent out my anger, and she's the closest person to me, the target of my misguided tension.

"Jellal…" She almost whispers, she mustn't know what to say. I don't blame her. "Jellal, I" She's going to try and comfort me, but I don't want that! I don't want her to stand there and feel sorry for me!

"Don't even bother Meldy. I'll see you at the hotel later. Just leave me alone." I snap at her before storming away yet again. It's as if I'm making a habit of it.

"But…" She starts to say something but never gets around to finishing it. Or maybe she did, I'm too far away to know now either way. I don't know where I'm going exactly, I just want to get away from here, to be alone for a while. I let my legs take me where they will, stepping one foot forward at a time. I run through the last few minutes at least a dozen times in my head, I wonder what Erza's thinking right now, what she's doing. Is she thinking about me like I am her? Or did she go back inside the guild and continue talking with Lucy and Wendy, paying no attention to my arrival? Maybe she really has gotten over me, maybe she sees me as just a trivial person in her amazing life that never slows down. I'm always worrying about this kind of stuff, would I worry about it if it didn't have even a sliver of truth in it? I think to myself, only managing to bring down my mood even more. 'No!' I tell myself. 'You have to think positively! You can't waste your time on if, buts and maybes.' The sound waves of my own voice bounce around in my head, but even they can't convince me that I shouldn't be worrying about this. I mean, it's my own mind thinking up all these things, and I know better than anyone else how little I know, just how little I'm sure of when it comes to Erza. As I walk I look up the sky covering Magnolia, the clouds are slowly turning an ominous shade of black, bunching together and warning me of what's to come. I look around me to see where my feet have taken me, and I notice that I'm standing a street away from Erza's house. My mind may be in complete strife, unsure about everything and doubting every aspect of my relationship with Erza, it still knows, somewhere way in the back beyond my consciousness. but it It still knows my true feelings, and where I belong. I belong with her, it's so clear. Erza and I are like fire and ice, our relationship isn't always perfect, we've been through trials. But at the end of it all, we complement each other perfectly. Of course, as much as I think this and know it to be true, I can never be sure that Erza would agree with me if I told her. I feel a drop of water splash down onto my nose, and realise that the rain has started to come down. Before even thinking about it, I run down the street and take refuge on the porch of Erza's house, watching the rain drip off of the roof a metre away from me. Why am I here? I can't be here, especially not after what just happened! What would happen if she saw me here? It's ok, I'll just have a bit of a rest here until the rain stops, then, then I don't know. But I 'll figure something out. Maybe I could get a room at a different hotel and let Meldy have both our rooms, that would work. As I am sitting down and figuring out a plan the muscles in my body start to relax, and the exhaustion from my hours of travel finally starts to set in. My vision is fine one second and the next black is descending. Each time I fight it back it travels further down my eyes, I lose the strength to stop it and the black descends one last time and leaves me in darkness, my consciousness slipping away from me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Erza's POV:**

"Erza? Hello?" Lucy's expectant voice rips my from my thoughts and back into reality. I look over at her and Wendy to see expectant looks on both their faces.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Lucy sighs when she finds out I wasn't listening after all. But what can she expect of me? Even someone strong like me can be shaken up when they see someone they haven't seen in so long. Especially when that person is special to them. I can fight 100 monsters and win, but I can't be my usual self when Jellal is suddenly at the guild after so long, and then when he starts screaming he doesn't even like me and running away. Even I have feelings, and right now they don't know if they should be happy Jellal is back, angry at him for saying he doesn't like me, sad that he doesn't like me, or just plain confused.

"Geez Erza, what's wrong with you? You're not like your normal self." Lucy asks me, but I get the feeling it's more of a rhetorical question. "Anyway, I was saying that Wendy and I are getting together all the girls in the guild for a trip to an indoor hot springs, you in?" As she asks me for what I presume and hope is only the second time, Wendy runs off to Juvia to ask her the same question. I bet she'll say something like: 'If it's only girls then Gray sama can't go! And Juvia can't go somewhere without Gray sama!' aaand, then he'll yell at her for being clingy, then she'll hug him, he'll start yelling at her and then run out of the guild, with her yelling: 'Gray samaaa!' and running behind him. How is it that I can predict them so easily but I have no earthly idea what is going on between me and Jellal? I mean, we've been friends since childhood, he is one of the most important people in my whole life, and yet I never know what's happening between us, I don't even have a clue. Sure enough, a few seconds after Wendy asked Juvia to come to the hot springs, a shirtless Gray is now running out of the guild yelling at Juvia while she chases him, just like I thought. I turn back to Lucy and make my decision on what I'm going to say.

"Sorry Lucy, I won't be able to make it. I need to sort a few things out." I feel as if my tone will give away just how sombre I am, but Lucy doesn't seem to pick up on it, she just tells me she hopes I'll be free next time and runs off to ask Lisanna. I stand up and make my way towards the guild door before I notice it's raining outside. Of all the days to forget my umbrella… I guess I could requip something? I could use one of my swords as an umbrella, but that would hardly be practical, but then again, it's better than getting wet and catching a cold.

"Erza, did you want to borrow this?" I see Mirajane's smiling face, in her outstretched hand is a red and blue striped umbrella.

"How did you know I needed one?" I ask her, puzzled as to how she knew exactly what I needed. For some reason she thinks my response is funny and starts giggling.

"You had this worried look on your face, and you kept looking outside and then at your hands and the ground and every direction, then you started talking about requipping a sword as an umbrella, which for the record, I don't think would work. So, do you want to borrow mine?" When she says I had been talking aloud I mentally curse myself. What if I had been talking aloud when I was thinking about Jellal? Damn Erza, you have to be more careful. But, when I see the perfectly composed mage in front of me I figure all she heard was the whole umbrella fiasco.

"Are you sure you won't need it?" Mirajane is the kind of person who'll put people before herself even if it's bad for her, so I know that she'd offer me her umbrella even if she needed it.

"I'm going to the hot springs with everyone else, so I can share Lisanna's umbrella. But you, have a certain man to see and I didn't see Jellal with an umbrella when he was here before." She winks as she talks about Jellal.

"How do you know I'm seeing him? You didn't hear me say something out loud did you?" Damn it, I was too quick to assume she hadn't heard everything. If Mirajane knows about everything going on between Jellal and I then I can be sure the whole guild will know too by tomorrow.

"No, nothing special this time. Just women's intuition, now here, take it." I'm glad when I learn she didn't overhear anything, and I'm not even shocked when she tells me about her 'women's intuition.' I should expect nothing less from Mira. I take the umbrella and give her a quick thanks before running out the guild door. I want to go straight to see Jellal, but I have no clue where he is. I assume he's staying at one of the hotels in Magnolia with Meldy, but there's too many to just go asking around at each one if he's there. Maybe I should just go home for today and hope he'll come back to the guild tomorrow. I don't know why he left so suddenly but it must have been for a good reason, the Jellal I know wouldn't act so strangely if he didn't have a reason for it. I sigh in disappointment, I was so excited to finally talk with him again when I saw him at the guild, and now I'll have to wait until morning, and even then I might not see him! Oh well, it's for the best, as I walk the rain starts to come down heavier and heavier, so I try to speed up my pace. I don't want to be still walking home if a real storm starts up.

After about 15 minutes of walking I can just see the outline of my house in the distance. I've just entered my street, so it can't be more than 100 metres away, but the rain is making it almost impossible for me to see anywhere past my hand. As I get closer I notice a shape slumped on my porch, I squint my eyes but I can't make out anything more than a rough outline, but from that at least I can tell that it's a person, and not just some animal. But who would be at my house at this time at night? When Jellal left it was around 6pm, and I didn't leave till about 2 hours after that. I don't have a watch or anything on me but it's got to be around 8:15 or so, so why would anyone be at my house this late, especially when it's raining like this? My curiosity gets the better of me and I can no longer bear simply walking. I run up to my house, wanting to know who it is sitting there as soon as I can. I have a feeling of who it could be, but I don't even want to think it. If I do I'll get my hopes up and be disappointed when it's not them. And anyway, they wouldn't be here, it doesn't make sense! Despite my doubt, when I walk up to the porch and look down at the sleeping figure, it's the same man I wanted to but wouldn't dare to imagine just a few seconds ago. It's Jellal. Joy rises up in me, followed by even more confusion. I still have no clue why he is here. When I look down at his sleeping face I notice two things. 1: He is impossibly peaceful when he sleeps and it is adorable; and 2: His lips have turned as blue as his hair, I don't know how long he's been lying here but it must have been a while for him to get this cold. If I leave him here any he'll be sure to get sick, that is if he hasn't already. I want to savour his sleeping face which is so different from his normal expression just a little bit longer, but I know that'd be bad for him. I lean down and place one of my hands in the locks of his hair, allowing myself to feel its softness for just a second before using my grip to literally pull him out of his sleep. After all, everyone knows me as some super strong warrior, I have to keep up that façade. I can't go and let him know how sensitive I am, and how much I don't want to hurt him. His eyes open with a startle and it's clear he's trying to understand what's happening around him. He looks up and sees my arm holding him up, then he looks around at his surroundings and sees where he is. A look of understanding flashes in his eyes, and he starts to talk.

"Erza! I'm sorry! I was just trying to get out of the rain, I didn't mean to sleep here!" The always calm, stoic and impossibly strong Jellal is acting so defenceless and vulnerable in front of me, I love it.

"It's ok Jellal, I get it. Now, come inside before you catch a cold." I laugh as I ruffle up his hair with my hand, before pulling him to his feet.

"Thanks for the offer, but I can't be a burden on you. I'll be fine, Meldy and I have a hotel booked, it's not even that far away." He's trying to weasel his way out of staying at my place. I don't know if it's really because he doesn't want to be a bother or if it's because he was telling the truth before about not liking me, but either way, I'm not going to let him get out of this! I flash him a smile full of anger, the expression on my face can not even come close to hiding my intimidating aura.

"Jellal, come inside." His reaction is immediate, he knows better than anyone just how persuasive I can be, people don't tend to disagree with me when they've got me staring them down, and people never disagree when they have a blade floating right in front of their face. Luckily, Jellal is convinced by just my stare.

"Yes Mam!" He replies and a genuine smile makes its way to my face. I put my key into the lock on the door and open it up, ushering him in.

"Ojamashimasu!" *** **Once we're both in the door I grab hold of Jellal's hand and realise how cold it is. Even I almost let go of it in surprise. I lead him to the living room so he can sit down and hopefully warm up. I try to remember the last time Jellal and I spent time together like this. Just the two of us. There were a few moments during and around the grand magic games, but we haven't truly been like this since back at the tower of heaven as kids so long ago. We've met time and time again after that and yet things always got in the way. When we met for the first time since we were children back at the tower of heaven, Jellal was pretty much brainwashed, then during the whole Oracien sies and Nirvana business he had amnesia, and at the Grand Magic Games he was too busy looking for the mysterious Zeref like magic while I was too busy with the competition. When I actually think back on it, it's been a really long time since we were like this. I can definitely say I've missed this. I've missed… us. Ignoring my original shock that he was sleeping on my porch, it just seems so natural that Jellal would be here. It's like, we're so close to each other, or at least I like to think that we are, that of course he's at my house. It almost feels like he's been here a thousand times and knows his way around the place perfectly. But of course, he's never been inside before today. Actually, I'm surprised he knew this was my house. Oh well, maybe Mira or someone else who likes to meddle told him at some point, but it doesn't really matter how he got here. Only that he's here.

"You can just sit down on the couch for now, I'll grab you something warm to drink. How about some tea?" Jellal shivers as he lowers himself onto the couch, poor guy. As strong as he is there's no way to fight against the cold.

"Thanks." All I get from him is one word, but it's enough. I can tell how grateful he is that I'm helping him out. I head to the kitchen, leaving Jellal in the living room.

**Jellal's POV:**

As she walks out of the room I notice her hair falling gracefully down her back. It's beautiful. Scarlet, my favourite colour. I turn my thoughts away from Erza's hair and try to reassess the situation I'm in. I feel colder than I ever have before, and I am sitting in Erza Scarlet's living room. It really has been a crazy night that's lead me to where I am now. I was so flustered before, getting all worked up over nothing. Just a few comments from happy of all people. How could I have let myself get so aggressive over the teasing of a little cat? Could I have been any more childish? 'I'm not a tsundere! I don't like Erza!' God, I must have sounded so stupid. But I guess what happened, happened. Getting annoyed at myself now won't change what I did then. And if I think about it purely logically, if I hadn't have been such a child then and ran off, would I have found myself inside Erza's house with her making tea just for me? I wonder.

"Here you go! Made just for you!" Erza comes into the room with a silver tray, atop it two porcelain cups with little strawberries cakes painted on. They suit her so well it's unbelievable. While I'm marvelling over something as small as what cups she uses, I look at the girl in front of me herself and notice what she's wearing. Much to my distress and even more so against my will, my face once again matches colour with my tattoo.

"E-Erza! What are you wearing?" Try as I might I can't stop myself from stuttering. Erza is standing in front of me in a maid's dress. I couldn't stop myself from reacting no matter what I did.

"Hehe, do you like it? I thought it was appropriate. What with me welcoming you in here and making some tea especially for you. " I swear I see her eyes sparkling as she talks. I forgot how into this kind of stuff she is. While she may be totally comfortable in an outfit like that, I definitely am not comfortable seeing her in it.

"We-Well, you really don't have to wear it! It's really ok!" I can barely make coherent thoughts, what with the visual stimulation in front of me. Erza pouts as I talk, I can't tell if she's playing around or if she's actually disappointed.

"Ok then, well, if you don't like the maid outfit then how about this?" She requips again. My mouth forces itself open in soundless shock. "I am looking after you after all, since I found you all cold and alone outside!" Erza, now dressed up in a very tight nurses dress is smirking down at me. My face gets even hotter, and the second I turn to hide it is the second Erza finally notices the changing colour on my face. Crap! Damn it! I can't let her see me like this! How am I suppose to explain this? I'm strong, I'm always calm with a perfect emotionless façade. If she sees me so worked up and embarrassed over seeing her in an outfit like that, I won't be able to hide how weak I really am. She'll realise what I'm really like! Her hand reaches down and grabs my head, turning it to face her.

"Hmm, I think you have a fever." She hasn't caught on to the fact that I'm blushing, she just thinks I have a fever. Phew. As she talks she brings her hand to my forehead, feeling its temperature. Her touch sends tingles all throughout my body, I can feel my hands shivering from both the cold and her proximity.

"You're burning up! You must have caught a cold from being out in the cold so long! Stay there and I'll get you a wash cloth to cool you down." Erza gasps before running off to the kitchen again. I realise that I've been holding my breath only when I let out a sigh of relief, which thankfully Erza doesn't hear. That was close, this is probably the only time I'm glad to be sick. She comes back into the room almost instantly carrying a wash cloth with her.

"Lie down." Erza is the kind of person who doesn't need many words to get her point across, her stare usually fills in the blanks her words miss. But no matter how persuasive her words are, I can't let this continue. I don't even know what I'll do if I'm left alone with her like this, her taking care of me so closely. I could do her opinion of me a lot of damage.

"It's just a bit of a cold Erza, I really am fine. I'm not even meant to be here, I can't keep bothering you, I really should go to my hotel." I stand up as I talk, but I feel a weight pressing down on my shoulder pushing me back into the chair.

"Jellal, you're sick. Do what I tell you." I can't let myself lose to her, even when she's being this intimidating.

"Meldy is probably wondering why I'm not at the hotel yet, I don't want to worry her." I push her arm away and walk past her to the door, but before I get there it is slammed shut by the scarlet haired woman who is somehow now in front of me.

"You're not going to win Jellal. Lie down." I'm about to retort again before the world starts to spin around me. I guess I really am sick.

**Erza's POV:**

"Jellal, you're sick. Do what I tell you." I place my hand on his shoulder, pushing him back onto the couch. Why does he have to be so stubborn?

"Meldy is probably wondering why I'm not at the hotel yet, I don't want to worry her." He argues back. No matter what I say he won't back down, he just keeps refusing to let me take care of him. Doesn't he realise how sick he is? I'm actually started to get annoyed at him, it's so obvious how much I care about him and how much I hate to see him in pain. He has to know, how could he not? Is he trying to hurt me by refusing my help? He stands up and pushes my arm away, stumbling his way to the door. I get ahead of him and close the door, easily. He's so sick that he can barely walk, it would be impossible for him to beat me there.

"You're not going to win Jellal, lie down." My voice has lost any of its compassion and has turned to plain intimidation. I don't care if he gets annoyed at me, I just want him to hurry up and lie down so I can help him. I can't stand to see him in pain any more. He opens him mouth to retort yet again, but before he can his arms go limp against his body and he starts to fall to the ground.

"Jellal!" I scream out, before reaching out and catching him mere centimetres before he impacts with the floor of my house.

"You idiot." I say to myself as I cradle him in my arms and look down at his pain ridden face. Red is painted over his cheeks and he twitches in his sleep as if he's having a nightmare. I can hear his breathing as the loudest thing in the room. Just a bit of a cold, yeah right. I reach down and grab onto him, carrying him over to the couch and laying him down. Once he's lying down with a blanket on and a wash cloth on his forehead, his face slowly starts to look better. His breathing starts to get more even and I can see the colour of his face returning to normal. He looks just like before when I found him here in the first place, he looks like he's at peace. I grab a cup of coffee and a blanket for myself and settle into the chair next to his sleeping body, preparing myself for an all-nighter. If Jellal wakes up in pain, I want to be here for him.

***A/N: Ojamashimasu literally translates to pretty much: I'm entering, excuse me. I thought it sounded better leaving it in Japanese. Hopefully this didn't annoy anyone.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Jellal's POV:**

The first thing I see as my eyes force themselves open is the strands of Erza's hair brushing over my face. I look up to see her sitting next to me with some sort of bowl in hand.

"Jellal? Are you awake?" Her soothing voice carries down to my ears and brings a drowsy smile to my face. As my current half asleep self I can't manage to remember why exactly I'm waking up to the sight of Erza's perfect face, but I'm not in a state to complain about it.

"Erza, good morning. Why am I here again?" A slight laugh escapes her mouth in reaction to my words, I guess me forgetting why I'm here is funny to her.

"It's no wonder you don't remember, the state you were in. I'm surprised how quickly you recovered though. You're fever is gone entirely" She says, sounding slightly surprised.

"Recovered? From what?" The minute I say it all the memories of last night come back to me and regret pours into my mind and fills it to the brim. I remember how pathetic I was, not even being strong enough to refuse Erza's offers, being so weak that she was forced to take care of me. She must think I'm so helpless after seeing me in that condition last night. I mentally curse myself for my actions. I really am an Idiot sometimes.

"From your cold, you were really in a state last night, you could barely even walk. You even had the audacity to tell me you weren't sick." She chuckles as she says the last part. Making fun of me, and it's not like she doesn't have the right to. My actions last night were so miserably pathetic I imagine it's impossible for her not to look down on me.

"It's coming back to me now. Sorry about, um, about everything I guess. Did you really take care of me?" I ask the last part hesitantly, really hoping that the answer is no, that she simply gave me a place to sleep and left me alone. The thought of her having to stay by my side all night looking after me, going to all that trouble makes me feel incredibly guilty. If she really did do all that I couldn't even bear how much of a burden I would have been on her. I sit in anxious anticipation waiting for her answer, hoping desperately it's the answer I want from her, and not the one I'm dreading.

"Yes I did, all night long. You really were a sad sight, it made me feel so sorry for you. I changed your wash cloth once every hour and I calmed you down every time you started twisting and turning in your sleep. On that note, here, eat up." My face falls as I hear her response, it was the one I dreaded. Damn it, that's just perfect. As she finishes her sentence she reaches forward with a bowl of porridge in hand, steam rising from the top. She even went to the trouble of cooking for me? Home made food at that? I can't believe I've been such an annoyance to her, such burden. I can't forgive myself. Although, no matter how annoyed I am at myself for being such an annoyance to Erza, I can't stop myself from being happy that she was looking after me so closely, that she cared enough about me to do so. It makes me feel impossibly special.

"Erza, you really didn't have to do all that, it was more than enough for you to be kind enough to understand finding me at your house and then even going so far as to letting me sleep here. But for you to stay here all night, giving up your time for me, you really didn't need to. I've been such a burden on you, I'm so sorry." Every word I say I say with absolute sincerity.

"Jellal you were doing it last night and now you're doing it again, stop acting so stubborn. I really didn't mind looking after you, it would have been worse for me to just leave you on the couch and watch you in pain. So stop apologizing and saying about how much of a burden you've been. Just stop, ok?" Her tone is stern like a military commander's. She sounds kind of annoyed, but I can also tell that she means what she's saying. I feel my heart start to beat just a little bit faster as I comprehend her words. Obviously people don't like seeing other people in pain, it's a totally normal thing. But my irrational heart dares to dream that she was talking about me specifically, that she cares enough about me to dislike seeing me in pain, maybe even to the point where it hurts her to see my in pain. It's a big dream, I know it could never actually be true, but I guess I can allow myself one impossible dream.

"If you feel that way, sorry for being so stubborn, and thanks for the breakfast." Erza seems pleased that I've finally said something submissive, and have agreed to what she is saying. Although there still seems to be something she's annoyed about.

"Jellal, you said sorry again." Oh, that. I find myself starting to get flustered, no matter how many times it happens the affect Erza has on me always manages to surprise me. It's like I'm a whole different person when I'm around her, instead of the cool and confident man I usually am, I am a bumbling idiot, unsure of everything.

"Sorry! I didn't meant to!" I blurt out the first response I can think of, and as soon as I say it I know I shouldn't have. The veins in her face start to ever so slightly twitch, but even that tiny motion is able to show the full extent of her anger.

"Jellal!" She screams at me, not able to hold back her anger at all. I've really done it now. If she were to go to a dark guild and look at them like she is at me now, they would admit defeat immediately, frightened by just the raw power of her stare.

"I shouldn't have said that, it just slipped out. I'll just shut up and eat my porridge." It takes me a while to stutter out the sentence, constantly pausing to find a word to replace sorry. As soon as I'm done talking I scoop a massive spoon of porridge into my mouth and swallow it whole. My hope is that if I stop being so stubborn and eat what she's made for me her anger will subside at least a little. Her reaction exceeds my hopes. Not only does she stop giving me such an evil face, she actually smiles when I start to eat the food she's made. Thank god.

"I guess if you stop saying it I can forgive you. Anyway, does it taste good?" The twinkle in her eyes that appeared when she put the maid dress on last night returns in full swing. She looks at me expectantly, waiting for my answer and I realise I've been focusing so much on eating as fast as I can that I haven't taken notice to what it is I'm eating. I take another bite and savour the taste filling my mouth. In one word, I would describe it as sweet. As I eat it I notice that the last remnants of my sickness start to disappear, the slight ebbing in my head fades away.

"It's actually really good. It's so sweet! How did you make it?" I find myself surprised at the quality of the meal in front of me. I don't really know why, but I kind of get the feeling that Erza wouldn't be a very good cook. I guess it comes down to the stereotype that strong women are too manly to be good cooks. But if anyone knows how feminine she actually is, it should be me.

"Really? And you're not lying to me?" The excitement in her voice doesn't dissipate in the slightest, if anything she sounds even more excited than before.

"I'm not lying Erza, it's good." I smile as I talk, it makes me feel good that she cares so much about what I think.

"Thank god! It took me hours to make that! I was worried you'd hate it!" She sighs in what I can only assume is relief, her words shock me and make me feel so bad. She spent hours cooking just for me? The feeling of being such a burden on her returns and it just makes me feel terrible. But the shock that she would actually choose to spend so much time on me alone makes me feel like the most special person in the world, it brings me nothing but pure joy.

"I'm not worth that Erza! But if I say sorry for being a burden again you'll get annoyed at me so I'll just say thanks for all the effort, even though I know I don't deserve it." I surprise myself with how poignant I manage to be in this situation. I can tell that at least this time I've made the right response.

"I'm glad you realise that Jellal." From the way she reacts I'm even more sure that I said the right thing. I swear she says something else, but it's so quiet I can't hear a thing. Maybe I'm just imagining things. I look into her face and see the slightest hint of a blush spreading over it before she turns away from me. I have no clue why she's blushing, absolutely no idea at all, but as confused as I am I can't help my heart from skipping a beat.

**Erza's POV:**

"I'm glad you realise that Jellal." Should I say it? Should I really say the rest? No, I can't. It'd be far too embarrassing, I'd come across as weak. "and just for the record, you deserve it." I say to myself, whispering the words for my ears only to hear. I know the truth in what I'm saying, to me, Jellal is worth anything and everything. I would do anything if it meant Jellal would be safe, when it comes down to it, I would die for him. That said, I think it's better to live for your friends than to die for them, but if the time came, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice myself. The combination of my whispered words and the thoughts running through my head brings a blush to my face, as I feel it getting hotter and hotter I can't help but turn away from Jellal, hiding my face from him. I can't let him see me like this!

"You're probably done with that by now! I'll take it for you!" I laugh off my previous comment and snatch the bowl up from Jellal's hands. I'm so embarrassed by what I said and from the red permeating my face. He didn't even hear me, I know that, but I can't stop these emotions from flowing through my body.

"Uh, thanks." I can see how confused Jellal is, he must be wondering what it is I said so quietly, or why I'm acting like this now. But if I tell him my reasons it wouldn't turn out well. He'd probably laugh at me, make fun of me for having these emotions which make me so weak. I know he's not the kind of person to make fun of someone, to belittle them. He's not like that, he's impossibly kind. But even though I know this so well, I still can't bring myself to explain why I'm like this to him. I can't even bring myself to look at him while my face is like this. I really am pathetic. I wash the bowl and leave it to dry before walking back into the living room, to see Jellal standing up and staring at a photo on my coffee table.

"You still have this?" I'm slightly confused at what he's asking about, but then I see the photo now in his hand. I sprint over to him and rip the photo out of his hands. I feel the colour on my face getting deeper, I can't believe I forgot that was there! And now he's seen it and knows that I still have it!

"W-w-why were you looking at that?" I both scream and stutter at the same time. I can't believe how out of character I'm acting, I look down at the photo he's been staring at. It's a photo from years and years ago. A photo from our childhood together, taken at one of the few moments of happiness at the tower of heaven, one of the moments when we weren't being beaten or forced to work. A tiny little Jellal has his arms around a tiny little me, both of us have huge smiles on our face. I have treasured that photo ever since it was taken. The colour in it has started to fade, the scarlet of my hair is now a light pink colour, but it's still one of the things I treasure the most in this world. But that's not something I want him to know! This photo is my secret pleasure, I look at it and hold it close to my chest and remember the Jellal from my childhood, the one I loved and still do love so much. It's something I can't show anyone else, if anyone were to see it, they would surely realise how helplessly in love with this man I still am. I can't even bear to let go of this photo which is years and years old. I realise it's not good to keep secrets, but this is one I must keep. If Jellal ever learnt of my feelings for him, I don't want to think of the outcome. He could reject me, he could stop being even my friend, I could lose him forever. That's the one thing I could never bear.

**Jellal's POV:**

Erza snatches the photo away from me, but the image is already imprinted in my brain. With it all sorts of memories come flooding into my mind, like a waterfall crashing down on me, bringing with it all the memories I will never be able to forget. I remember my childhood with Erza, the little girl with the scarlet hair that shone in the light. The little girl with strength so far beyond her years, with enough courage to stand up to the oppressive adults around us. But with all that strength came such beauty as well. Even as a kid she was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. Her smile lit up my world and I was always yearning for it. I would do anything just to see that smile, the one staring back at me when I look at that picture.

"I can't believe you still have this." I can't manage to come up with anything new, and find myself repeating the me from 10 seconds ago.

"It's not a big deal, it's just a photo." Erza says dismissively, obviously trying to get away from the subject. But I can't let something like this just slip away so easily. I need to know. Why does she still have this, and why was she so protective of it? Could it be… because I'm in it? I tell myself not to be so conceited, that there are so many other reasons why she would still have it. Erza had a pretty terrible childhood, I was there first-hand to experience it. Maybe she keeps the photo to remind her of those days, and send herself some motivational message like; 'If I got through that, then I can make it through anything.' or something along those lines. But the more I think about it the more it seems possible, even if it's only a sliver of possibility, that she has kept that photo close to her all these years is because I'm there right next to her in it.

"Do you mind if I have another look?" I ask very cautiously, I realise that she clearly doesn't want me to see it, any idiot, hell, even someone like Natsu could figure that out from her actions before, but that knowledge doesn't sate my need to see it at least one more time.

"No, I told you not to look at it." She states matter of factly.

"You never said that. You just asked me why I was looking at it." I retort back, in a very similar manner, whether it means disagreeing with Erza or not I have to see that photo. I feel like unless I see it again I'll never believe that it's actually real.

"Look who's being all technical now! I'm pretty sure snatching it away from you and yelling at you counts as telling you not to look at it!" She virtually screams at me, her voice positively dripping with angst. I'm kind of confused as to why she's acting like this. Maybe she's embarrassed by the photo? Embarrassed that she's kept it safe all these years, as self-serving as it sounds it really does seem like the most plausible reason. Although no matter what the reason is I know I shouldn't push the issue further. I can tell this is a boundary that she doesn't want to cross, that this is a subject she doesn't want to talk about.

"Fine, I won't ask to look at it again." I sigh in defeat. I see relief flood over her face, it makes me feel like a good person when I see her face like that. I think of Meldy and my conversation on the way to Fairy Tail, where she respected my boundaries and didn't talk about Erza for my sake. I was grateful to her for that, so I hope Erza is grateful to me now. I hope I've been able to make her more confortable by not pushing too far.

"Thank you." Those two words are enough for me to know that I have succeeded in my goal. That the Erza of right now feels like the me from yesterday.

"Anyway! Now that you're better you really should come visit the guild. You left before anyone could take to you yesterday, I'm sure there are some people who want to say hi." Erza's attempt at changing the subject is plainly obvious, but I don't really mind. It is a good idea after all. It's not like I can just not go back after the scene I made yesterday, I need to set things straight with the members of Fairy Tail.

"There's probably a certain someone who wants to fight as well." I laugh at my own comment and Erza joins along as well, knowing exactly who the 'certain someone' I'm talking about is.

"You know how Natsu is. You can at least humour him, let him get a hit in before you beat him." I'm insanely glad that after all that's happened I'm still able to talk to Erza so casually, just like back when we were children.

"I guess I can do at least that much for him. Hey, do you think Meldy will be there?" I say the last part with hope in my voice. I really need to apologize to her for yesterday, I acted like such a child and I took it out on her.

"You're in luck. Right before she chased after you yesterday she said to Juvia that she'd come visit today." Thank god. I feel a slight tension in my shoulders release itself along with any traces of stress in my body.

"Well that's good. Do you want to get going?" I find myself surprisingly eager to go to the guild. Eager to go and make amends with Meldy and to see all the people who have helped me time and time again in the past. When I was brainwashed at the tower of heaven, when I lost my memories and when I needed help at the Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail was always there to help me. It'll be nice to see everyone again.

"Ok, let's go." With that, I get up and make my way to the door. Opening it up for the girl behind me and stepping through together with her.


	4. Chapter 4

Erza's POV:

As the doors to fairy tail open before us I see a scene I've seen a million times before.

"What did you say you ice-bastard?" There goes Natsu.

"Is your brain so fill with fire that you can't even hear now?" And there's Gray.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less." Pipes in Jellal from behind me. His words make me realise that it really says something about your guild when this is the norm, something that really annoys me.

"Wait here a second." I quickly tell Jellal before storming into the guild.

"You two!" My voice booms through the building. Natsu and Gray both tense up the instant they hear it, slowly turning around to face me, fear apparent on their faces.

"E-erza! I didn't know you were here!" Natsu stutters out while Gray just laughs nervously next to him. I take the last few steps and close the gap between the three of us, reaching out and grabbing both of them by the arm, my fingernails digging into their skin.

"We have a guest here right now." Their stares go from me to Jellal, noting his appearance. "So would you two be ever so kind." I pull my muscles taut, preparing myself. "TO NOT FIGHT IN THE DAMN GUILD!" I scream as loud as physically possible as I whip my arms around, sending the both of them flying into their respective walls of the guild. They hit with a crash, and when they fall against the ground there are still two notable cracks left in the wall.

"Y-yes Erza!" The two of them yell out in sync. I turn around to see Jellal's reaction to all this, expecting him to be horrified by my brutish actions. But instead, he's smiling and trying to hold back a laugh. I'm not quite sure whether that's a good thing or not.

"But anyway, Jellal's here again? Am I allowed to fight him?" A second after he landed Natsu is already up and asking for another fight. I would say I can't believe he's acting like this, but by now it would be weirded if he actually acted like a normal person. I'm just about to retort when Jellal steps forward until he is in line with me.

"If you want to fight me then I'll oblige, but I'll warn you now; I'm not good at holding back." Jellal cracks the knuckles in his hands as he talks, trying to sound formidable. Any normal person would probably just laugh at the fakeness of the gesture, but Natsu is simply too dense to realise that Jellal isn't actually being serious.

"Yatta! Ok Jellal, bring it on!" Natsu yells out before sprinting at Jellal with his hand alight.

"Karyuu no tekken!" Natsu's fist comes into contact with Jellal's chest, but only for a moment. A second after the initial impact Jellal spins around and creates a magic circle, a few seconds after that he has brought the magic down on a Natsu who is now laying helplessly on the ground, his arms and legs twitching every few seconds.

"It's not o-over y-y-yet!" The boy lying defeated on the ground proclaims as he tries to push himself back to his feet.

"Natsu," Jellal bends down so that he is at eye level with the Natsu who has now managed to get onto his knees. "It's over." As he says the last two words he extends his hand and flicks Natsu ever so lightly, right in the middle of his forehead, sending him sprawling back onto the ground.

"Ne-next time Je-" He passes out before he finishes his sentence, but everyone in the guild can tell what he was trying to say. Jellal stands himself upright once again and walks back to my side.

"Well, did I humour him enough? I let him hit me before I attacked." He whispers so that only I can hear. I'm reminded of our conversation this morning and it brings a laugh to my face.  
"Yes Jellal, I'm sure he'll be satisfied with that." I whisper back before once again talking with a normal tone of voice, "Anyway, I'm sure Natsu's not the only person who wants to see you. I think I see another pink haired friend of yours over there." I motion over to Meldy as I talk. She's sitting at a table along with Lucy, Wendy and Carla, all staring in our direction. I wonder why Juvia isn't with her, but then I notice her fawning over Gray. I guess they've already had their reunion. The look of relief on Jellal's face that wipes over him the second he sees her is almost impossibly obvious.

"Thanks Erza, I better go see her." By the time he finishes his sentence he is already walking away from me. I can't help but feel at least a tiny bit jealous that he's going to stand by Meldy's side and not mine. But I know just how foolish these thoughts are. The two of them are good friends, nothing more, and Meldy is years too young for Jellal anyway. Despite knowing how absurd my jealousy is I can't stop it from coursing through me, but I'm still the strong Erza that people know. A little jealousy won't kill me.

Jellal's POV:

"Jellal! How have you been?" Lucy calls out to me as I walk up to their group.

"It's good to see you again! Everyone missed you!" Wendy joins in, I know the members of Fairy Tail have more important things to do missing me, but it's still nice that she'd say something like that.

"It's good to see you too, and I've been doing well. That reminds me, I still haven't congratulated any of you for winning the Grand Magic Games, so yeah, good job." When I think about it, Fairy Tail's victory was truly amazing. To come back after 7 years and still manage to be called the top guild in Fiore, that is something I can respect.

"Thanks Jellal! But you can't just congratulate us as if you were just some audience member or something! You helped us out then as well!" I'm honoured that Wendy actually thinks I was helpful to the guild, but I really don't deserve her praise.

"I don't know if I could call my one match helping, you guys really did the work yourselves."

"Don't be silly! Even if you lost your match, we couldn't have won without you. If we didn't have everyone that we did then we wouldn't have done nearly as well as we did. And anyway, I lost my battle on the first day, but Natsu comforted me and told me I was helpful, so that means you were helpful too." Lucy chimes in, almost rendering me speechless.

"Well, thank you I guess. But I really can't take any credit, I mean, I'm not even a member of Fairy Tail." A look of realisation dawns on both Lucy and Wendy's face.

"I actually forgot for a second that you aren't a member! I guess since Mystogan used to be a member, I must have gotten used to you being here." Lucy gasps out.

"Me too!" Wendy does the same. I'm pretty surprised by them forgetting that I'm not actually a part of Fairy Tail, but it makes me feel good to think that if I ever were to join, I'd be accepted.

"I'm surprised to hear that. But on a different topic, do you mind if I talk to Meldy?" I ask them, remembering my original reason for coming over here. While she had just being staring off into space before, Meldy's head spikes up at the sound of her name leaving my mouth.

"Sure! We should probably give you two some space. Come on Wendy, Carla, we should say hi to Erza." Lucy ushers off the younger girl and her cat, leaving me alone with my only remaining comrade from Crime Sorciere. I sit down hesitantly, hoping that Meldy isn't mad at me for how I acted yesterday.

"Before I say anything, can I just say I'm sorry? I acted like a child yesterday, I got worked up over a couple of stupid comments from Happy which isn't something I'm proud of. I made a fool of myself and then I took my anger out on you, which I never should have done. I really don't have any excuse, but I hope you'll be able to forgive me anyway." I apologise to her with sincerity and regret lacing my words. I wait for Meldy to say something back, but she doesn't respond.

"Meldy?" I cautiously ask, curious as to why she's not talking to me. Is she too annoyed at me to reply? Have I done some serious damage in our relationship? Damn it, I should have known it wouldn't be this easy. That I wouldn't be able to just apologise after being so rude to her yesterday. Still without saying a word, she stands up from her seat and walks over to me.

"Stand up." She demands of me. Wait, what? I was hoping she'd forgive me, but realistically, I thought she'd get annoyed and yell at me. This outcome just has me confused.

"Wait a minute Meldy, what?" I blurt out questioningly.

"Just stand up already!" She bursts out at me. I still don't know why she's asking me to, but I'm not really in a position to deny her requests right now, what with me basically ready to beg for her forgiveness.

"Ok..." I say, tentatively standing up. The second I am on my feet she flings herself at me to my total surprise. Her arms wrap around my back and she buries her face into my chest, where I can feel tiny little drops of water staining it.

"Meldy?" I question again as I look down at the girl below me, clinging onto me as if I was the only salvation in a raging sea.

"Jellal you idiot! I was so worried about you! You promised me on our way here you'd stay with me! I waited all night but you never showed up at the hotel! I thought something must have happened to you! I've already lost Ultear, I thought I'd lost you too!" She screams for everyone in the guild to hear, her tears have soaked my shirt through and through. Her response wasn't what I was expecting, I guess that shows how much attention I've been paying her. I've been the one she's been with these last few months, I've been the one there when she struggled to deal with the loss of Ultear. I should have realised how she would have felt if I left her alone. I should have been more considerate of her. I wrap my arms around her tiny little body, reciprocating her motions. I bend down so that we're at the same height and use one of my hands to pull her closer to me, so that her head lies in the crook between my shoulder and my neck. At the same time, I bring my other hand up and place it on her head, running my fingers through her pink hair in an attempt to calm her down, to show her that everything's ok.

"I'm sorry Meldy, I should have been there for you. I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm sorry." I'm so ashamed of myself, I can feel the stares of every member of the guild stabbing into me, each one judging me. Thinking how terrible I've been, thinking how disgraceful it is that I've made her cry.

"I'm just glad you're back Jellal, you don't need to apologize. Just stay with me, as long as you never leave me I'll forgive you, ok?" She cries out just as loud, if not louder than before. I forget all about the eyes bearing down on me and let myself think of nothing but the girl in my arms.

"I won't leave you Meldy , I promise. I'll stay with you and make sure you never have to cry like this again." I scream out, letting all the emotions I usually keep bottled up inside me come racing out. I smile down at Meldy's face, not even bothering to try and hide the tears rolling down my face. I don't care what the people of Fairy Tail think of me. They know me as someone strong, someone who would never cry like this or act so weak. But I can't always be that person, I can be strong for the people I care about, but sometimes I have to be weak for them as well.

"Jellal, thank you so much, just, thank you. I was too young to even know my parents before they were killed, so Ultear's the only parent I've ever had, but if feels so nice in your arms, it reminds me of Ultear, when she was my mother." She smiles up at me through her wall of tears, her words spreading warmth all throughout my body. She thinks of me like a parent to her?

"I can never replace Ultear, but I'll try to be like her for you. I'll take care of you Meldy." I say with utmost conviction, I promise myself that my words just now weren't hollow. I'll keep my words for as long as I live, I'll look after her.

"Here, take my hand." I coax her, detaching my hand from her back and instead holding it out for her to grab.

"Hai!" She cries out with a smile on her face, her hand latching onto mine. I pull her back onto her feet and turn to face the stares of the guild.

Erza's POV:

As I seen the scene between Jellal and Meldy play out before me I feel like I should be mad, or jealous that they're hugging each other so tightly, that Meldy is begging Jellal to stay with her forever, and that he is agreeing. But somehow, I'm not jealous at all. I can't bring myself to hate Meldy for what she's doing with Jellal. The reason why I feel this way really should be because of everything Meldy has been through. I should be feeling so sorry for her, that I couldn't possibly be jealous of her that Jellal is comforting her. While that is a factor, it's not the main reason why I'm not jealous of her. The main reason is because, well, simply put, they don't look like lovers or boyfriend and girlfriend or anything like that. They look like a father who is comforting his daughter. The pair in front of me have such a deep relationship, they care about each other so much, even if I was jealous of them I doubt I could break the two apart. I doubt anyone could.

"Woo! Go Jellal!" The guild instantaneously bursts into waves of applause, every member is cheering Jellal on, while he is looking around stupefied.

"Jellal! You're a real man!" Elfman yells from the back of the guild.

"Good on you brat!" The master bellows through the room. I can't help but smile when I see the affect all of this is having on Jellal.

"What? Why is, why is everyone?" His confidence has vanished in almost a single instant, he's now looking all over the room, seeing each person cheering and wondering what on earth is going on. His face is so confused that it's actually comical. It's definitely nice to see Jellal flustered this much, as opposed to his usual stoic self. While Jellal's current state is funny to watch, I really should help him understand what's going on around him. I walk up to him and Meldy, who are still holding hands.

"Jellal, you do realise how out of character that was for you, right? And you must know how manly it was of you to comfort Meldy so passionately. It's almost as if you're a prince from a fairy tale, saving the damsel in distress." Even though I said he was the one saving the damsel in distress, he seems to be a lot more distressed than Meldy right now. Meldy definitely looks embarrassed, but at the same time she's not nearly as bad as Jellal. He looks absolutely mortified that the entire guild just saw the show he put on. As if he'll never be able to live this day down.

"I-I-I was just reacting how anyone would! And I wasn't manly, I was, I was weak! You all saw it!" He screams in defence, his remark transforming all the guild members into laughing messes.

"Why, why is everyone laughing?" He could not be cuter if he tried, I am totally convinced of this.

"You're just so different from normal! I don't think I can take it!" Lucy exclaims, Cana and Wendy nodding in agreement. Just like Lucy, I don't think I can bear it anymore either. I close the gap between us and brush my lips over Jellal's cheek, just for a second. But for that second my heart races faster than it ever has before, and I feel my lips more prominently than ever. My skin tingles all over, I'm insanely happy.

"E-e-e-erza!" He blurts out, his face lighting up as bright as the sun, but just a little more red.

"Think of it as a reward." I'm afraid that Jellal might end up simply not being able to deal with everything around him and passing out, especially after I gave him that kiss. But for now at least he's standing. That kiss was just a peck on the cheek, a joking gesture, one to make fun of him with. That's what the rest of the guild will see, what Jellal will see. But for me that kiss was a second of pure bliss which I will never forget. It was only a second, it meant nothing, but I will treasure it.

"Everyone, I'm, I'm sorry for making such a scene! I'm a guest here but I've made such a disruption!" Jellal yells out in defence, even going so far as to bow his head in apology, I'm pretty sure he's the only one who thinks it's actually necessary.

"Wait, a guest? Didn't you join the guild during the Grand Magic Games?" Master asks, clearly not understanding Jellal's comment.

"He was just helping us then Master! He didn't actually join." The voice of reason comes from Mirajane, who shakes her head in masters direction as she talks.

"Why isn't he a member? I mean, he's fought with us at the Grand Magic Games, and Mystogan was a part of the guild and they're basically the same person." Lucy actually makes a good point, I wonder why Jellal isn't a member of Fairy Tail yet.

"I-I'm already in a guild! Crime Sorciere! I can't be a Fairy Tail mage!" Jellal is as stubborn as ever, that's for sure. Doesn't he realise that he's pretty much already a member? All he needs now is the guilds tattoo, but he's still saying no.

"Jellal, there's only two of us, are we really still a guild? Why don't we just join Fairy Tail?" Meldy adds to the conversation with a very valid point. Even before Ultear sacrificed herself Crime Sorciere was the smallest guild I've ever heard of, three people is one thing, it can be classed as a group. But two people can never be anything more than a pair, it can't really be called a guild.

"We'd be happy to have to you." Declarations of peoples support come from all throughout the guild, people yelling out that the guild wouldn't be the same without Jellal, that he's one of the guilds precious friends. Jellal's eyes fill to the brim with water threating to overflow, just like minutes ago when he held Meldy so tightly. But this time his tears are of happiness, happiness that there are this many people who care about him so much, who want him in their guild. I have to say that I'm really liking the side of Jellal I'm getting to see today, the side of him that isn't necessarily the strongest, but the sensitive side of him. It shows me and everyone in the guild that although he's usually a stoic man of few words, he does have emotions below his layers of metaphorical armour.

"Come on Jellal, what do you say?" I ask him after everyone else's voices have simmered down, after all this there's surely no way he can say no, no way he can reject my offer.

"I guess since Meldy wants to join, and you all want me to join, I can't really say no can I? I'll, I'll join Fairy Tail!" Geez, that damn tsundere. He is undeniably crying by this point, to the point where he can't stop it. And yet, he still acts as though he's doing us a favour, that he doesn't really want to join Fairy Tail, that he's doing it because we wanted him to. But then again, that's just his way of dealing with his embarrassment, I shouldn't scold him over it.

"Ok! It's decided! You two come over here!" Mira exclaims in an excited voice, running up to Meldy and Jellal's side, grabbing them both by the hand and pulling them over to the bar.

"W-W-what?" Jellal can't even manage to get proper words out as he is whooshed through the guild by Mira.

"Where do you want it?" Mira asks, magical stamp in hand.

"Where do I want what?" Jellal asks Mira back. Meldy gives him a slight nudge in the stomach and points to what Mira is holding, drawing his attention to it.

"The guild mark? For me?" He cries out in surprise. Shouldn't he have expected this when he said yes? Every guild has a mark, he's wearing Crime Sorciere's right now after all.

"Of course! The mark is the sign which shows our friendship, it's the one thing every member of Fairy Tail has, the one thing that connects us all. If you're going to join us, you have to have one!" Mira beams to Jellal while everyone in the guild nods their heads in agreement.

"Um, where do I want it? I don't know, where should I get it?" While Jellal is indecisive, Meldy steps forward and thrusts her arm at Mira.

"If you can't decide then I'll go first Jellal! I still want to keep my Crime Sorciere mark, to remember Ultear by. So I'll get Fairy Tail's mark in a different place. How about here?" She points to the back of her right hand.

"Ok! Here it goes!" Mira presses the stamp down on her hand and the whole guild watches in anticipation. Meldy raises her hand, now with a purple mark on it.

"It looks good on you Meldy! And it's in the same place as mine too! We'll be like guild mark buddies!" Lucy trills as she holds her hand next to Meldy's.

"Ok Jellal, your turn. Have you decided yet?" Even though she's asking him, it's clear he still hasn't made up his mind. I guess I'll have to help him out a little.

"How about right here? To balance out the tattoo on your face?" I point to Jellal's neck, on the opposite side of the tattoo already on his face. I can see Jellal considering the idea, but Mira doesn't wait for his approval.

"Ok, there it is!" She pushes the stamp onto his neck, holding it there for a few seconds before pulling it back, leaving behind the sign of a Fairy Tail mage on Jellal's skin.

"Does it look good?" He asks me, not being able to see it himself. The mark is a lovely scarlet colour, just like his tattoo.

"It looks good, but here, have a look yourself." I reach behind Mira and grab hold of the mirror she keeps behind the bar, handing it to him.

"It's scarlet, Like your hair. It's beautiful." The memory of how I got my name comes back to me when I hear his words. All those years ago when I met him for the first time. I introduced myself as Erza, only Erza. So he gave me my last name, 'Scarlet, like your hair.' Erza Scarlet. Thanks to Jellal, that's who I am. And now that I am remembering this clearly again I smile and cry at the same time, much to Jellal and the rest of the guilds confusion.

"Erza, what's wrong? I thought you'd be happy?" Jellal has genuine concern in his voice, but he needn't worry. With him joining my guild I don't think I could get any happier, just thinking about all the time I'll be able to spend with hi makes me feel like a child who has seen magic for the first time. It makes me feel amazing inside and utterly excited for the future.

"I'm ok, just remembering something good!" I exclaim, it may sound like an excuse, like saying you've just remembered a funny TV show after randomly breaking out into laughter, but it could not be more true.

"Anyway, now that you're a member we should celebrate!" I declare to the guild, I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but at the very second I say 'celebrate' Natsu finally wakes up.

"Yes! A party! Fairy Tail style!" He laughs his head off after he is done talking, he's definitely a party type of guy.

"Are you sure you should go to all that trouble just for me? I'm not that special." There he goes again, acting all stubborn and bashful. He really needs to work on the habit.

"It's not just for you, it's for Meldy too! And anyway, from what I've learned from being in this guild, Fairy Tail really doesn't need a big reason to throw a party." Lucy explains to Jellal, her remark sets off the whole guild once again.

"You've got that right Lucy! I'll be in charge of the sake!" Cana yells out in a very-cana like fashion.

"Cana! If you're in charge then you'll just drink it all!" Macao berates her, but what he's saying is probably true, despite her figure Cana is the best drinker in Fairy Tail after all.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Cana yells back, clearly not understanding why she shouldn't be allowed to drink enough sake for an entire guild. I guess some people never change. Cana with her drinking and Jellal with his tsundere side.

"YES!" Every member of the guild says it together, except of course the new recruits Jellal and Meldy. They have a lot to get used to.

"Come on Jellal, Meldy, I'll give you a tour before the party." I call out to the both of them, Meldy runs over to my side, dragging Jellal with her.

"I don't want to be a burden. I'm sure I can find where everything is myself." I don't even know how many times it's been since last night that he's make stubborn comments like this, but oh well. I don't think I'd be able to keep count even if I tried.

"Jellal you know I don't mind, now come on, don't you want to see the home of your new family?" I can see that I've won him over. He may be stubborn but like I've said to myself in the past, I am persuasive.

"Ok, if you don't mind, it would be good to know my way around here." Before I can make a comment on the nature of his comment, Meldy is already starting to say something.

"Don't mind him! He's a bit of a tsundere, but I'm sure he'd absolutely love to be shown around by you in particular Erza!" I am about to agree with her but I'm cut off again, this time by the elevated voice of Jellal.

"Meldy!" He screams out as soon as she finishes talking, he looks like he's both surprised and embarrassed by what she said. I amuse myself with my absurd fantasy that he actually likes me, and that he's embarrassed that Meldy would say something that points to that. I chuckle to myself, enjoying my fantasy.

"Ok then, let's get going!" I exclaim, taking the first step while Jellal and Meldy follow behind. During the tour I find that there are some rooms even I haven't seen yet, I thought the renovations we made after the fight with Phantom Lord were major, but the mayor who gave us back our guild after we won the grand magic games seems to have put even more features and rooms in. I guess it's fitting. It's still the same old building, but with a few improvements. Just like the members of Fairy Tail, that is; still the same, but with a few additions.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: Hello to all my lovely readers! Sorry I've been updating so slow lately, but this chapter is my longest so far by about 1,500 words or so (once I start getting into my writing, yeah, I'm bad at stopping) so yay for that! New books come out (One of them being Allegiant! The final divergent book!) and I bought pokemon and spent pretty much 4 days straight doing nothing but playing. But none the less, after many delays and some writers block in this chapter, here it finally is. I was having trouble writing a drunk Jellal before I came to the realisation that he's never been drunk in the show, so no matter what I wrote it wouldn't be OOC! So, I just had fun with it. And it was very fun. So, I'll leave you will that, enjoy!**

Jellal's POV:

"To Jellal and Meldy! The newest members of the best guild in Fiore!" Cana yells across the guild, gaining a round of cheers from every mouth. I feel kind of odd that I'm the reason they're celebrating, but I know I shouldn't. These people are my friends, Erza is the most important person in my life, Natsu has saved my life time and time again and the rest of the guild has been so welcoming to me. I shouldn't feel so awkward around them, I should be opening myself up to them. But then again, I always have found it hard to open up to people and trust them. That's why I'm always so stoic and quiet, a lot of the time I just don't know what I should say, so I don't say anything. But I know this is a problem, I can't let myself go on like this forever. And tonight is a perfect opportunity for me to take a step forward, if only one, out of my comfort zone.

"Jellal! Aren't you going to drink anything?" Cana wraps her arm in a very familiar fashion as she slurs at me.

"I'm sure you'll drink enough for my share as well." I state matter of factly. I try not to be hostile towards her, but my comment still carries spite in it. Maybe changing isn't such an easy thing, maybe it's just not something that I can do.

"Oh, come on Jellal! Don't be so stiff! One cup won't hurt you!" Normally I would say no to her, I would probably say something about how alcohol makes someone into a total idiot, and then point to her as an example. Usually I would react to this situation by being a total jerk. I realise this, I know my habits. But because I know my habits, I'm able to think about what I would normally say, and then not say it. And like she said, one cup really can't hurt me, can it?

"I guess I'll have one, but no more!" A smile lights up her drunk face when I agree to her offer.

"Yatta! Mira! A cup over hear for Jellal, extra large!" An extra large one? Crap! I really shouldn't have agreed to this! Especially not with someone like Cana!

"Wait, Mirajane, a normal one is just fine!" I call out as she makes her way to my table, she is already holding the giant cup on a tray, froth bubbling over the top.

"But Jellal, I've already made this one, are you really going to make me make another one? I wouldn't like that." Her voice and the smile on her face are as sweet as cake topped with cream and sprinkled with sugar. But the aura flowing from her is nothing of the sort, it is dark and formidable and terrifying. I guess this is why she's known as a demon.

"Don't worry about it, I'll drink this one!" I blurt out. I would have never imagined that such a petite and sweet looking girl would be able to scare the life out of me, but the proof is right in front of me now, I can't really argue against it.

"Good! Here you go!" Her facial expressions don't change, but she loses the terrifying aura and instead gains one of pure happiness. Thank god. I look away for a second and see Erza out of the corner of my eye, stunning in a red dress with a slit down the side. As I bring the drink to my lips I start to regret my choice. Will I get drunk off this much? Will I embarrass myself in front of Erza? Oh god, what if I do? Maybe this wasn't the best choice after all.

"Sorry, I don't think I'll have it after all." I say as I bring the cup away from my mouth, resting it on the table next to me. I feel like I've lost all the progress I've made towards changing into someone better than my current self. But at least I won't make a fool of myself in front of the woman I adore and respect and most of all love so much. I look over at Cana to see her reaction to my statement, and it does not instil confidence in me. A demonic smile appears on her face, an evil glint sparking in her eye. Before I even realise what's happening, she's grabbed the cup off the table and is pouring its contents into my mouth. As the liquid fills my mouth faster than I can swallow it I start to cough it up, choking and sputtering.

"See Jellal, it's not so bad!" The devilish woman laughs out, while raising her hand high into the air, beckoning Mirajane again.

"Mira! Another one!" Oh god, this isn't it?

"Hai!" Mirajane beams, making her way back to the bar to grab another cup.

"Please! No more!" I barely manage to sputter out between coughs, but my refusal has no affect on Cana. As soon as Mirajane is back with another cup she is pouring the liquid into my throat making me choke again. As I'm still recovering from the second cup, Cana has already acquired a third and is making me drink it as well. The more I drink the less resistance I am able to muster. I can feel myself falling into the pits of inebriation. I've never really drunk that much before. My life just never have enough time in it for me to fool around like this. By the fifth cup I am the one asking for it, hollering out to Mirajane.

Erza's POV:

I space out of the conversation I'm having with Gray and Juvia and look over to see Cana forcing a cup of sake down Jellal's throat, much to his detest. I do feel sorry for him, but he's going to learn a lot about loosening up tonight, which is something that he can't do if he's sober. And if there's one thing a guy like him needs to do, it's loosen up.

"Erza, help me!" I focus back in on the conversation and see that Gray has run behind me and hidden, using me as a shield between him and Juvia.

"Gray sama! Who would you run away! Does Gray sama hate Juvia?!" Juvia accuses Gray, her face is already red as can be, she's obviously drunk. I guess she's an aggressive drunk.

"Yes I hate you! So leave me alone already!" Gray screams back at her, both fear and annoyance in his voice. As he talks he slowly steps back, trying to distance himself from Juvia.

"How could you Gray sama?!" Juvia bursts into shrill, ear piercing tears. Gray stops in his tracks, guilt flooding his face.

"Damn it! Don't cry Juvia, I don't hate you, ok?" He says, trying to remedy the situation he has found himself in. But I get the feeling it's only going to add fuel to the flames. Juvia's eyes dry instantly and the space where her tears had covered her face is now occupied by sheer determination.

"I knew it! Gray sama loves Juvia!" She leaps past me and onto Gray as her voice echoes through the room. The two come crashing down onto the guild floor, Juvia's weight entirely on Gray's.

"What are you doing you idiot? I didn't say I love you! Get the hell off of me!" Gray tries to get the girl off him but it's no use, she's got him held down tight.

"Juvia will never let Gray sama go!" Despite Juvia's words Gray still struggles under the water mage. Twisting and turning in every way possible, but whatever he does it's no use. Juvia brings her face down to Gray and gives him a sloppy kiss, the kind of kiss that can only be given by someone who is heavily drunk.

"Juvia! Stop that! Stop it! Erza get her off me! Please!" Gray lies helpless on the floor begging for my help, but something else catches my attention. I spot Jellal on the other side of the guild. He's still with Cana, but instead of her forcing him to drink he's doing it of his own volition, chugging down cup after cup and swaying more after each one. I stare at him in amusement, I've never seen Jellal drunk before. It's as if he's thrown away all the inhibitions he's ever had. I don't know how many cups he's had, but it's definitely a lot. He looks over and notices me staring at him.

"Erzaaaaa! Come and chill with me!" He hollers across the room, I chuckle to myself. I'm about to see a whole new side of Jellal, I need to get this on camera so I can show him when he's sober. He'll never believe me if I don't.

"I'll come over in a second!" I call out before making my way over to Levy's table.

"Hey Levy, do you mind if I borrow your camera for the night?" I say as I tap her on the shoulder, trying to draw her attention, she spins around in a flash and jumps onto the table she was sitting at just a second ago.

"Erza! This is so fun! Wooo! Hey, is that Gajeel? I wanna see him!" With that said she leaps off the table and skips over to Gajeel. Just as I think to myself how useless a drunk Levy is, she turns and throws her camera at me before running even faster than before at Gajeel. Camera in hand, I make my way over to Jellal's side and hit record.

"Erza! You came! Here, drink with me!" He slurs out while thrusting a cup filled to the brim at me. I look down at the pile of empty cups he's amassed at his feet, there's 13 all up. It's no wonder he's acting like this. I take the cup from his hand and sip on it, feeling the cool liquid flowing down my throat.

"So Jellal, how are you liking your party?" I bait him with the question, wanting to get his reaction on camera.

"I love my party! Cana and Mira were giving me all these drinks and now I feel so funny! Everything's so shiny!" His voice is filled with pure happiness, he doesn't care how people judge him, it isn't even going through his mind. He's just saying what he feels, and I love it.

"Woah! There's two Erza's! They're so pretty!" He yells out in surprise, wonder apparent in his eyes. I feel my face flushing red, even though Jellal is nothing like his usual self, him calling me pretty fills me with both joy and embarrassment.

"I wanna dance with the Erza's!" He yells out again before launching himself off his seat and grabbing me by the hand.

"Wait, what are you doing Jellal?" I can't help but call out in surprise as I am jerked sideways from the force of Jellal's hand pulling mine in tow. He spins me around in a circle, holding me with one hand and holding onto thin air with the other, I guess that's where he's seeing the 'second Erza'.

"Come on Erza! Dance with me!" He beams at me, pulling me even closer and wrapping his arms around my body, seemingly forgetting about the second Erza, and thinking only of me. The thought makes my skin tingle, like it would when you have Goosebumps. But I'm not nearly cold enough to start forming Goosebumps, the sensation I'm feeling is due to the heart pumping from my heart all the way through my body, warming up everywhere from the tips of my fingers to the spots on my back where Jellal's strong arms hold me tight against his chest. I know it's stupid to feel this way, he's drunk beyond recognition to his normal self, I shouldn't be getting so worked up and excited over the touch of someone who doesn't even have control over themself. But even though I know this I can't stop my feelings taking over my body. It's Jellal and he's touching me so intimately and he's so close that I can feel his alcohol tainted breath on the tip of my nose.

Jellal's POV:

The room turns around me as I spin and spin and spin with the Erza's, we spin so fast, the three of us. I'm upside down and I'm the right way up and then I'm spinning in every direction. Everything is bright, but it's so blurry as well. All around the room there are all kinds of shapes and colours, but the only thing I can see clearly is Erza. The light from her red dress is piercing, far too bright for my eyes, so I don't look at it. I keep my eyes locked on her eyes instead. I spin her around and around as I lose myself in the depths of her perfect eyes. As I stare at her the other her disappears, and she becomes the only person in my world. I pull her close and wrap my arms around her, yearning for her warmth. My world starts to slow down, all the colours I see blur into one big ball of stuff. My body spins slower but my head spins faster. I feel so dizzy, I latch onto Erza as tight as I can, using her to stop me from falling. All of a sudden my head is too heavy for my neck and it flops down onto Erza's shoulder. Her smell flies into my nose, it's sweet and sweet and sweet, it's so sweet that it makes me want to taste it.

"Jellal? Are you ok?" I hear a string of sounds but they all jumble together in my head and just sound like noise. I open my mouth and run my tongue down along Erza's shoulder. The taste of the sake and Erza's taste mix together and makes me feel so good.

"Je-Jellal! What are you doing?" Jumbles of noise come at me again, they shriek at me and hurt my head.

"Erza, you taste so goooood. I wanna taste you some more Erzaaaa." My voice drawls on in my head, making me laugh.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! Erza! Look at me! My skin feels so funny, it's all tingly! Look at it! Look at meeeee Erza!" I hiccup in the middle of my sentence, and again at the end too.

"I think you need to sit down, come on, walk with me." I can't understand what she's saying, but she starts to pull me away to the side of the room. She pulls me by the arm but when I look at the wall it is screaming at me.

"No! No I don't want to go over there!" I yell out in distress, I rip my arm from hers and stumble away, taking two steps and slipping on the ever spinning floor. The world twists and turns and before I know it my head it hurting and the ceiling is above me, staring down at me with accusing eyes.

"Jellal!" Did she say Jool? What does jool mean?

Erza's POV:

It's as if I see him fall in slow motion, one second he's breaking away from my grip on his arm and the next his leg is thrust out from under him as he descends to the hard ground of the guild. He hits the ground with a veritable thump, smashing his head as he impacts.

"Jellal!" All I get in response is a mix between mumbling and groaning. I run over to where he is lying crumpled on the floor and scoop him into my arms, as if he were some kind of cat. I carry him all the way to the couches on the 2nd floor of the guild and lie him down. His breathing has slowed down and his eyes are closed. I look down at the camera in my hand to make sure that after everything that's happened it's still fine. Despite being spun like a maniac by Jellal and having to carry him all the way up here I have managed to keep a hold of it and keep it recording. I stop the recording and start a new one. I intend to show the first one to Jellal tomorrow, when he's sober, but this one I want to be only for me. As I hit record again I aim the camera down at the sleeping figure in front of me and just let it watch as his chest rises and falls. I record his innocence as he sleeps, so that I can look at it later and remember. I place to camera on a table right next to the couch and indulge my temptations, reaching my hand down and entangling it in his blue hair, wrapping its threads around my fingers and feeling its softness.

"Erza!" I jump up in my seat, ripping my hand ungracefully from his hair. My mouth is open wide in shock, that the figure in front of me is not actually asleep.

"You-I thought you were asleep!" I stutter out, bringing a grin to his still drunk face.

"I'm as awake as ever Erza! I'll prove it to you!" It all happens so quickly I can barely even register the situation around me. As he yells out his body surges up towards me and a second later his lips are on mine. The pressure of his lips makes me forget everything. It makes me forget where I am, who might be watching and the fact that Jellal could never actually like me. Instead my head fills up with one thought and one thought only; Jellal. Only are lips are touching but it's as if I can feel his warmth and his touch on every part of me. I give into the kiss entirely and completely, parting my lips to match the movement of his own. I can taste the very essence of him, as if its flowing into me. He tastes impossibly sweet and the feel of his lips is the best feeling I've ever experienced. I'm certain that nothing can ever compare to it. It's as if my lips have always been half of something, a puzzle piece without someone to fit with. But as Jellal's lips crush down on mine I know that he is my missing piece, that I am complete for the first time ever. I feel his tongue slide along my bottom lip, asking for my permission. I open my lips in acceptance, letting his tongue race into the caverns of my mouth. I feel myself getting hotter than I ever have before, intense lust taking over me completely. My only desire is to devour the man in front of me. As I feel his tongue in every corner of my mouth I can't do anything to stop myself from moaning in pleasure, before bringing my lips back on his more fierce than ever. I claim his lips as my own, kissing him roughly, passionately. My teeth place tiny little bites marks all over his bottom lip, leaving him bruised and battered but no doubt satisfied. I try to place my lips back onto his but instead he pulls away, reaching further down. He places kiss on my neck, on my shoulder, on my jaw, I didn't know it was possible to feel this good. He reaches behind me and rips the band that holds my hair in two, letting the scarlet mass cascade down my back. I blush an even darker shade of red than I ever would have thought possible when he does it, I've always been proud of my hair, and every time Jellal would make a comment on it my heart would skip a beat. But now it's less like my heart is skipping a beat and more like it's travelled at 300 miles per hour up a ramp before doing 10 back flips, charged through three rings of fire and landing in a field of tigers and lions next to a pool of sharks. My heart really doesn't know what to do with itself. I feel his hands wrap around me and before I can react to the sweet, sweet touch he is using all his power to pull me off my chair and onto the couch on top of him. I don't protest. As our kisses deepen I clench the hem of his shirt, slowly letting my hands delve under it and explore the toned chest of the man below me. It's obvious from one touch how much this man has trained, to get his body to this state. And I have to say it is a very good state. His muscles make me want to focus on nothing but them, they make me want to feel every inch of his perfectly sculpted chest. And so I do. I run my hands down and up, feeling every surface from every angle I can. I bring my head down and kiss his chest, feeling it with my lips, where I'm most sensitive. But before long he darts forward and captures my lips in his mouth again, making me forget momentarily about the wonders of his body and remember all about the glorious feel of his lips. I let my own tongue slide into his mouth, searching my way through every crevice. His lips continue their assault on mine without rest, making them feel more amazing than I could have ever imagi- it stops. His lips fall away from mine, my tongue is ejected from his mouth and the feel of his chest deserts my hands. As he falls onto the couch I fall with him, thrusting my hands out in front of me to stop my head from bashing into his skull. I look down at the figure below me, the face now in between my hands. He is fast asleep, his breathing is still fast and laboured, but it's clear to see that he's no longer conscious. I don't even try to sort out everything that just happened. In this state I'm not able to understand much of anything. The question of whether what we just did was entirely because of the alcohol, or whether it was just the alcohol amplifying feelings he already had, that'll have to wait till tomorrow.

"You're such a tease when you're drunk Jellal." I say to myself, knowing that this time he's definitely not secretly awake to hear it. He really is a tease, giving me all that he did and then falling asleep on me, leaving me in a raging, lust filled state. I guess I can't blame him though, no one is the same as normal when they're drunk. I slowly pull myself off of his sleeping form, wanting to savour every last second of contact I can. Once I am off of him and standing on my own two feet, I walk down to the first floor of the guild to see the results of the party. Juvia and Gray are both asleep, their bodies entangled together. All the exceeds are lying in a pile next to Natsu who is sleeping on top of the also asleep Lucy. Over in the corner of the room Mira, Elfman and Lisanna all sleep together as a family, legs draped over each other in every which way. I chuckle at the state of the guild and walk back up to where Jellal is sleeping, grabbing a blanket on my way. When I get back to Jellal I drape the blanket over him, as I do he unconsciously snuggles into its warmth, it's adorable. I notice the camera on the table and remember what I was doing. I stop the recording and watch it back, seeing our… encounter from another angle. It feels weird to be watching something so personal between us from such a dejected angle. It makes me feel like I'm some kind of voyeur, looking in on these people's relationship. But I don't have to feel that way, do I? I mean, it's me and Jellal, I can look at it all I want. And I plan to. But for now, I really need to get some sleep. Before I settle down for the night, I transfer the second video to my computer and delete it from the camera. On the off chance that Levy comes to get the camera before I wake up, or anything like that happens, I can not let them see that video. I have to keep it safe. After that's done I lie down on the couch next to Jellal's, taking one last look at his face before I drift off into sleep.

Jellal's POV:

The instant I open my eyes it feels like my head will collapse on itself. I sit myself up and bury my head in my hands, trying to no avail to soothe the pain. What happened to me last night? I stand up and see Erza sleeping on the couch next to me, she looks so beautiful when she sleeps. The way her chest rises and falls, moving her hair just a little bit each time. It truly is a mesmerizing sight. I look away from her sleeping face to get a look at my surroundings and some of my memories come back to me. I was here for Meldy and I's welcoming party into Fairy Tail. I can remember Cana forcing me to start drinking, but after about the third cup I can't remember a thing. I only ever intended to have one drink last night, just so that I would be able to fit in here, instead of just watching in from the outside. But I never meant to drink like I did. The feeling in my head and the loss of my memories tells me that I must have drunk a lot. I really hope I didn't embarrass myself, but I know that's wishful thinking. I can only imagine what I might have gotten up to while drunk last night, and as much as I want to know what happened and what I did, I almost don't want to know as well. I feel like if I don't know what happened, it'll be like it never happened in the first place. It's like the saying: Ignorance is bliss. But I obviously know that as nice as it sounds I can't just put this behind me without finding out what happened. I think of waking up Erza to ask her, but then I spot the camera on the table next to her. Maybe someone took photos last night? Something that would give me even a hint to the events of the party. I pick up the camera and turn it on, looking through it's album. There's no pictures dated as last night but there is one video. Let's hope it'll give me some clues. I press the play button and am instantly shocked. Someone is holding the camera and walking towards me, while I yell out in a very drunken matter. Oh god, it's only just started and it's this bad already? Over the next 10 minutes I watch the rest of the video, and find myself cringing constantly. I see myself screaming and laughing, spinning in circles for what seems like forever with Erza and just all out making a fool of myself. Great… Just great. My only hope of redemption is that everyone else was as drunk as me, and don't remember anything either. But when I look at this video Erza was clearly sober, I don't know about before or after the video but she only sipped at one drink during the video, and it was obvious that she was in a clear state of mind. I guess I should just apologize for my behaviour before she can say anything to me about it and hope that she'll forgive me. Looking at that video makes me so ashamed, that I would act like such a fool. But then again, I looked like I was having a hell of a time. My actions are surely going to have a hell of a repercussion, but at least I had fun, and while people will probably judge me to hell for how I acted, maybe it'll help me be accepted more as a member of Fairy Tail. Maybe it'll help show everyone that I'm not always some stoic and unwavering guy, that I can have some fun, even if I need a few cups of alcohol for me to get to that level. I twirl the camera in my hand as I wait for Erza to wake up. I sit next to the couch she's on for about 40 minutes before she finally stirs. I use the time to just look at her, to savour her perfectly innocent sleeping face before she wakes up. After all, I'm sure that once she wakes up she'll want to beat the hell out of me and yell at me, I don't blame her, but I do want to cherish my time before that.

"Uuuuh, morning." She mumbles out to no one in particular. Then she turns and sees me looking down at her, and her mouth twists into a smile, relishing her memories from last night.

"Jellal, if it isn't you. So, what did you think of your party?" She can't even manage to hold in her laughter as she talks, and by the end of her sentence she has burst out laughing. I guess I'd better get this over with.

"Erza, I'm so sorry. I don't really remember much at all, but I watched the video you recorded of me. I-I can't believe how much of an idiot I acted like. I know I must have been so annoying and that you much have been annoyed at me. So yeah, sorry for being such a pain." Erza doesn't even pause from her laughter to listen to me, to tell the truth it does annoy me a little, but I'm not really in a position to be annoyed at her right now.

"Oh my god Jellal! You're sorry? What on Earth for? You were so funny last night, I only filmed you because I was sure you wouldn't believe me if I told you what you were like! I really should get you drunk more often, you're a blast." She laughs so much that tears almost start to fall from her eyes, does she really think that way? I find it hard to believe.

"Is that really the truth Erza?" I ask in disbelief, hoping that she'll tell me the truth.

"Jellal! Do you think I could be laughing to the point of tears if I was lying? No no, this is all true. I may have been sober last night but I enjoyed the party just as much as anyone who was drunk. I had you for my entertainment after all." I can tell what she's saying is true, and relief floods through me. I thought I had made an idiot of myself, I guess I still have, but at least Erza liked my idiocy.

"I guess you must be telling the truth then. Well, do you have any other videos from last night? I feel kind of jealous of the me from last night, he had all that fun and I can't even remember it." When I ask her if she has any other videos she seems to be worrying about something, she bites her lip for just a second, clearly thinking about something that makes her uneasy. But I don't want to pry, I'm sure if she wants to tell me she will, and anyway, we're having such a natural conversation now, she's laughing her head off and I'm able to speak to her like I would anyone else, as if she and I are just normal people, and I love it.

"Sorry, that was the only video I took." Her voice wavers as she says it, but she doesn't elaborate. I guess I'll just leave it alone. "But you shouldn't be jealous of yourself, that's just silly. How about I go on a mission with you? Then you can make up for the fun last night you can't remember." Her voice is happy once again, so I guess not talking about what's worrying her really is best.

"It would be nice to have you around for my first job as a Fairy Tail mage, but I really don't think I can move any more than I already am with this head. I have never had a hangover before and from the experience so far I'm not loving it." I regret having to reject Erza, after she went to the trouble to invite me to go on a mission with her. I would love to do one with her, fighting alongside her, watching her when she's at her most powerful. But inside my head it feels like there are a million little men each slamming me with a giant sledgehammer with all their might. I may be standing to talk to Erza now, but I don't think I can manage to do anything else.

"Your first hangover is always the worst, but I'll tell you a little secret I've made use of in the past after a few of Fairy Tail's bigger parties." She motions me closer and I place my ear right next to her mouth. "Wendy knows a spell to heal a hangover." She whispers into my ear, shocking me with the news. That goes to prove that magic isn't just used for fights, it can be pretty convenient too.

"But why keep that a secret? I would think that Wendy wouldn't be able to bear watching people feel so bad." I really am puzzled, but Erza opens her mouth to set the record straight for me.

"Carla convinced her to keep it a secret. Can you imagine what it would be like if everyone knew? She would have the whole guild lining up after every party, even she can't handle that much at once. Her healing magic takes a pretty big toll on her after all." What Erza says makes a lot of sense, I wonder why I didn't already think of it. But it also places an inkling of doubt in my mind.

"If it takes so much out of her should I really be asking her to heal me? I mean it's just a hangover, it's not like I'll die from it." I say to Erza, not wanting to force Wendy to heal me just so that I can go on a mission with Erza. I don't want to hurt that little innocent girl for such selfish reasons.

"It's really fine Jellal, if it was the whole guild it'd be a different story. But it'll take a lot more than curing just one hangover to actually hurt her." Despite my earlier worries, Erza has me convinced. I usually hate having to rely on other people, it makes me feel like I'm not strong enough to look out for myself. But if I'm going to be a part of this guild I really need to learn to rely on its members.

"Ok sure, then I guess I can't really say no to you. What job did you have in mind?" I ask her as we walk down the stairs to wake up Wendy together, she flashes me a smile before she answers.

"Oh, I think you'll like it." She says with a devilish grin before she skips ahead of me to where Wendy is sleeping alongside Levy, Jet, Droy, Laxus and all three members of the Raijinshuu in a very literal pile. I don't even want to know how they all got there, but regardless, it seems like I'm in for a good first mission at Fairy Tail.


	6. Chapter 6

**Erza's POV:**

I look over at the face of the man walking next to me, his lips are full and red and just so kissable. I still carry the memory of last night, but he doesn't know about any of that, he can't remember anything from last night. Thoughts tumble through my head seemingly endlessly. I want to ask him about it, I want to know if last night was something he wanted to do, or if it was just the alcohol making him act so different from normal. I need to know what our relationship is, are we still just the friends we were yesterday afternoon? Does he want us to be more? I want us to be so much more than just friends, I wish I could spend the rest of my life with him. But I don't know nearly enough. I can't just come out and tell him what happened between us last night, he may regret it. If I tell him I could jeopardize our friendship. But I have to know! God!

"What am I supposed to do?" I scream out inside my head in anguish, I'm so frustrated with myself! I can't even make a simple decision like this!

"Um, Erza? What are you talking about?" Oh god. Oh god. No, no no no.

"D-did you hear that? Was that out-loud?" I blurt out defensively, my face getting hotter and hotter.  
"Of course I heard it. We were walking normally and then you suddenly started yelling out." Jellal talks with certainty, I on the other hand can barely make words come out of my mouth. It opens itself and I feel my jaw drop.

"Uuuuh, that. That was, I was talking about l-last." I get half way through the sentence and stop. Should I say it? No, I can't tell him about last night!

"Last? Last what?" He inquires of me, waiting for an answer I want so desperately to give but just can't.

"I was saying, uh, last m-mission! Yes! The last mission I was on I brought all my gear and everything but I forgot some stuff this time! I was wondering what I should do without it!" As I talk I laugh nervously, trying to hide my deception, but when I look at his face it's clear that my pathetic attempt at deception did not work against him. But he doesn't look accusing about it, which is a good start. I guess he understands that some things need to stay secrets, after all, I'm sure he has plenty of secrets himself.

"What did you forget to bring? Depending on what it is we might not even need it." He states calmly, trying to coax an answer out of me. I panic, and say the first thing that comes to my mind.

"The costumes!" I yell, bringing a confused look to Jellal's face.

"Costumes? Are you talking about your requips?" He's clearly trying to make sense of what I just said, but even the answer itself doesn't make all that much sense.

"No! There's this guy who runs a theatre and we had to fill in for the actors a couple times! We had another mission there last week! I was the prince and Lucy was the princess, I thought we might need them for this mission too!" Halfway through my explanation I realise I am rambling but I can't stop myself from talking. We haven't actually had a job from him in months, but Jellal obviously doesn't know about our missions for him in the past, so he won't notice that I'm talking about something that happened months ago instead of a week ago.

"That sounds… nice. But why would we need it for this mission? Aren't we going to get rid of some demon tamer?" When Jellal has to pause and find a word to describe my story that won't offend me it hurts. He obviously thinks I'm spouting out this nonsensical crap, and doesn't want to hurt my feelings about it. Despite his good intentions, his attempts almost do just as much damage as if he just came right out and told me how insane I'm being.

"Well, I like to be prepared for anything. You never know what's going to happen, right?" Just like before it's clear he doesn't believe me. I would be surprised if anyone actually believed what I'm saying right now.

"Well, ok then. But I think we'll be ok without the costumes." God, I feel like such an idiot. At least he's not pushing the issue. He's too good a guy to do that.

"Anyway, I think the place mentioned in the flyer is just around this corner, we should probably be careful." He tries to change the subject and I let him. Anything to get us away from this dangerous topic.

"You're right! We should probably spilt up, come at it from both sides. The building should have a back door as well as a front one." I try my best to forget all about last night and whether or not I will ask Jellal about it and simply focus on the mission at hand. I can't let my personal problems get in the way of work. This is an S class mission, one slip up can mean death. I need to leave my problems behind me.

"That sounds like a good plan. I can go in from the front and create a distraction, and you could come from behind and try and find a way to kill the demon without having to get into some big battle." Ok, we have a plan. I need to think only of this plan. I can't think of anything else.

"Ok then, we'll go with that. But be careful, that demon is one from Zeref's book. Don't underestimate it." I warn him, knowing full well of the danger we are both in.

"I'll be careful, you know me. Now we'd better get going. See you soon I guess." He reassures me before running off in the direction of the building.

"Yeah, see you soon." I whisper, even though he's already gone. I clear my mind, forgetting everything about me and Jellal except for the fact that we are working together on this mission. We are comrades with a common goal, working together to take down this enemy. That's all I need to be thinking. All the other stuff I can think about, and deal with, later.

**Jellal's POV:**

I'm worried about Erza. She really doesn't seem like herself. She was talking total nonsense before, I'm one hundred precent sure she was just pulling lies out of thin air. She's obviously hiding something from me. I know it's not my place to pry but I still wish I could know what's going through her mind. What's managed to rattle her so much. She's not completely focused on this mission, I can tell. I have to make up for that. If half her mind isn't on the mission then I'll just have to be double as good. I volunteered to take the front so she wouldn't be in danger, volunteered to do the dangerous job of distracting the demon instead of the safer job of taking it down while it's distracted. Of course, this is an S class job, neither part is truly safe, but I am determined to keep any and all harm away from the girl I love. I will protect her. The problem probably won't be the demon so much but more it's handler. Some demons aren't that strong on their own, to make up for their own weakness they drain power from their tamer. And the tamer agrees to let the demon suck out their power, their very life force, just in their pointless pursuit of power. There's no use for power if you've been slowly killed by the very demon serving you, but I guess some people are just too power hungry to understand that. I reach the door, pausing for a second to summon a magic circle. I throw the circle up above the roof, as a symbol for Erza to see, so she knows that I'm going in and to follow after me. In response, Erza sends a spark of lighting up, spelling out the word: Ok. She must have requiped her thunder empress armour. Now that we're both ready, it's time for me to start. I pull my arm back, summoning strength to it. Once I amass all the power I can I bring my arm to the door, the moment it makes contact the door is ripped off its hinges, flying all the way across the room and landing at the opposite wall. I need to make a show of this, really draw their attention.

"Well, let's get this started." I whisper to myself before locking eyes with the demon in front of me. A growl escapes its mouth, its lips unfurling to show its razor sharp teeth. They look like they could cut through steel, I'd better stay clear of them.

"What are you just standing there for?! Get him!" The tamer screams out and in response the demon comes flying at me. It takes a second for me to react, and in that time the demon has already closed half the distance between us.

"Heavenly beam!" I throw my hands forward and light comes surging out of them, flying out from me and towards the demon. It throws itself to the side, stopping its charge on me but dodging the attack as well. The demon spins on its toes and is back on me within a second.

"Heavenly blast!" I throw more magic at the beast but it still doesn't reach, the demon dodges to the side again, I can't beat it at this speed!  
"Meteor!" I feel magic surge through my body and my I start to feel lighter and more importantly, faster. I fling myself forward, light shining outwards from me. With my new level of speed I catch the demon easily, smashing my fist into the skin of its shoulder before it twists away from my fist, sending me flying. I spin myself around in mid-air and bend my knees as my feet hit the wall kicking off and using the momentum to fly at the demon again, this time using both my feet to break the bones in it's front legs. As its legs crack it is sent sprawling to the floor, no longer able to hold up its own weight.

Before its master has any time to react and call out an order I am already smashing down on the demons skin again, sending it flying back and landing roughly on the ground of the building.

"You filthy demon, making me use my own power! I'll punish you for this after!" The demon tamer screams out in a deep voice. Red light amasses all around him, magic so powerful it has a physical presence. And then, the magic is gone from him within a second. Every last bit of it flies into the demon from Zeref's book and I can hear its bones remoulding as it stands up on all fours again. It lets out a powerful roar, shaking every surface nearby. I might be in trouble here. It leaps all of a sudden, even with my extra speed I can't dodge it. I throw myself to the side but its massive claws catch me on the shoulder, digging into my skin and flinging me across the room. I groan in pain, feeling the blood seep from the cut, but when I look down at it it's only a light scratch, not as deep as I thought. That's good. I push myself up with my other arm, readying myself for another assault. The demon launches itself at me and I crouch down and brace my arms in front of myself in a defensive position. I stand ready for the oncoming blast, but the demon stops a second before it reaches me, I can feel its foul breath on my skin, but its face is unmoving, almost as if it's been frozen solid. I look over its broad shoulder and see Erza with a sword to the tamers throat. She did it. I can't help but feel proud of her, a thought goes through my mind, 'That's my girl! That's the girl I fell in love with!' I realise that I can't really call her 'my girl', she's her own person. But she definitely without a doubt obviously deserves the title of the girl I fell in love with.

"If you move a muscle I will break your legs, if you move after that I will kill you." Her voice is the height of intimidation, a sound of pure evil. I have never been more grateful to be on someone's good side.

"Ok, I won't move! Just spare me please!" The tamer screams out in fear, tears almost escaping from his trembling eyes. The demon is still immobile in front of me, it must be because of the link a demon and its master share. Erza's face lights up with a smile and I find my own doing the same. It's good to see someone who thinks he's the devil reincarnated put into his place, made into the shrivelling mess this man is now.

"I won't hurt you, but tell me how you got a hold of this demon. It's a powerful one from the book of Zeref." Erza inquires of him, as she talks the demon in front of me almost looks like is vanishes, just for a second. It must be my imagination, my head must still be playing up a little from last nights party. The tamer tries to make words but can't seem to manage to get them through the deep layers of fear in his throat. Just before he starts to talk, a devilish grin makes its way to his face, just for a second before the look of fear returns. What was that? I think back to the split second where it looked like the demon had vanished. Could it be? I push my hand forward so it is touching the skin of the demon, and then I push it further. My hand isn't stopped by the demons skin, it keeps going in, that means this demon is using the same magic I once did. It's made a thought projection of itself and is hiding somewhere safe. I have to let Erza know! The real one could be anywhere!

"Erza! The demon here is just a thought -" Before I can finish I spot the demon above Erza, in the rafters of the building. It's already starting to spring down, Erza's head whips around to face me, waiting for me to finish my sentence. But there's no time to tell her! It's going to land right on her!

"Erza!" I scream without even meaning to as I race across the room, pushing my speed to the limit. When I reach her I grab her by the shoulders and push with all my might, sending her away from this deadly spot pretty roughly, but it's better than the alternative.

"What are you doing Jellal? I had hi-" She yells out before stopping when she realises what's about to happen. I hear her yell my name again, but her screaming won't change anything. It doesn't change the feel of the claws digging into my chest and pushing me down with an unstoppable force. My eyes close themselves instinctively, as if that would be able to do anything to stop the pain. When I open them again I see three things. 1:The demon is on me, half its entire hand sunk deep inside my chest. 2: Erza is over to the side where I pushed her to safety, screaming out to me. 3: The tamer looks like he is laughing his head off and somehow managed to get himself to the opposite side of the room as Erza. I can hear nothing except for a slight ringing in my ears. The last thing I feel is the demon retracting its claws from my chest, but the last thing I see is it lining up the other arm for another shot at me.

**Erza's POV:**

I hear Jellal yelling out something about the demon, but he pauses before he can finish. I turn to see what he's talking about and the next second he is on me. He sends me flying through the air with a powerful push, and when I finally land I do so with a thunk, my head ebbing in pain. What the hell did he do that for? I had the tamer pinned!

"What are you doing Jellal?" I scream at him accusingly. I don't know what the hell is wrong with him but he just jeopardized the entire mission! "I had hi-" I stop abruptly, finally seeing what Jellal is so worried about. How the hell did the demon get there? I can see it where Jellal was standing just before! I'm so sure of it, but when I look over to where the demon should be, I look just in time to see the last remnants of it fading away. A thought projection! That's what it must have been! Which means the one Jellal just pushed me away from, the one now springing down on him, is the real demon.

"Jellal!" I scream out in hopelessness, not knowing what else to do. I can't get there in time. I open my mouth to yell again but nothing but sounds of shock come out. The demons claws have ripped through the fabrics of Jellal's skin. The beast is pinned on top of an unmoving Jellal with a gaping hole right in the middle of his chest. I look over to see the tamer laughing his head off. That despicable, vile man! He wouldn't be strong unless he had that demon lackey with him! How can he laugh when someone as strong as Jellal, someone who would sacrifice themself to protect someone else is lying there dying. How can he laugh at that? I find it almost impossible to hold in my anger, but I can't let it get the best of me! Not now! I can't attack him yet, first I need to get the demon off Jellal and stop his bleeding. I don't have any time to spare, at this rate he'll bleed out. I can't let him die. I can't let the man I love so much die before my very own eyes. I can't witness that.

"Requip! Japanese cloth armour!" I scream out, feeling the magic slide over my body, replacing the hard steel of my usual armour with light cloth and placing two long katana's in my hands. The demon pulls one arm out of Jellal, but the other arm is poised above him, ready to strike.

"No!" I scream as I run. "I won't let you hurt him any more!" The distance between us seems like forever, but as I finish my sentence I finally reach the demon. I swing both my arms at it, stabbing my blades into its hand, stopping the downward force of its arm. While I have one of its arms trapped it hurtles the other one at me. I balance myself with the swords and flick my legs up, meeting the demons fist with my legs, grabbing hold and twisting it. When I hear a cracking sound I know I've twisted far enough, and let go. The demon lets out a terrible howl, the sound of it vibrates all over the room and rushes into my ears. The pitch of it alone almost makes me loose the grip on my swords, but I stay strong. I pull the swords out and immediately bring them up, swinging them in an x-formation across its neck, ripping it apart from both sides. Blood spurts out instantly from the wound, getting in my eyes and blinding my vision. I wipe my hand over my face to get rid of the splattered blood and bend over in exasperation, letting out deep and raspy breaths. I did it. The bastard is dead. Once I regain my breath I kick the thing away and take a look down at Jellal, his breathing is heavily laboured and the blood just keeps pouring out. I shoot a glare over at the tamer, but he doesn't notice. He's too busy cowering in a corner, his head buried in his knees and his entire body rocking back and forth. The demon sucked his energy dry to gain its power, and now that its dead, the tamer can't do a thing. He can wait. First I need to tend to Jellal. I bend over him, siting on my knees.

"I won't let you die Jellal! I swear to whatever higher power there is that you're not going to die!" I scream at him, His shirt is shredded to pieces and very much unsalvageable. I gently pull the pieces of it off him, looking at each one of them, but none are long enough to make a bandage. I look desperately down at myself, wearing next to nothing in this armour. The bandage I wear on my chest is perfect, but it's the only thing on my chest! I feel a blush coming up from my neck and into my face. You idiot Erza! Jellal is dying! This is not a big deal! I tell myself, and I'm right, it's not a big deal, it's what I have to do. With that mindset, I unwind the bandages from my chest until there is nothing left. I can't help but feel exposed, so I flick my hair over my shoulders, letting it hide however little it is capable of hiding. I place my hands on his chest, pushing down as hard as I dare to put pressure on the wound. I try to place the bandages as gently as I can, but every little touch sends the unconscious Jellal into a frenzy. His breathing spikes and his chest comes racing up at me. It's almost impossible to keep the pressure on him but I manage it. With Jellal reacting so much to every little touch, it makes the progress long and arduous, but I finally get the bandage wrapped all the way around him. I start to think that he'll be ok, he's got the bandage, but then I see the blood seeping through the multiple layers I wrapped. I need to get him back to Fairy Tail now! I just hope to god Wendy or Poluchka are there. I do a lightning fast requip into my normal outfit and bundle up Jellal in my arms. I realise how hard the chest plate I always wear is, so I pull his head up into the crook of my shoulder, I can't risk him getting any more hurt than he is now. As I run out of the building I see the tamer doing the same, running while he has the chance. Damn him! I want to chase after him, our mission won't truly be completed if I let him get away now. But as much as I want to stop him nothing comes before Jellal right now. I let him run back to whatever sad village he came from and run back to Fairy Tail like my life depends on it. Because while mine doesn't, Jellal's does. When I remember that the job we took wasn't too far from the guild waves of relief wash through me. I don't want to think about what would have happened if this job had happened somewhere far away from the guild. I run and run and run until finally I can see the outline of a familiar building on the horizon. Before I can even make out the lettering on the sign I start to yell.

"Wendy! Poluchka san! Anyone! Jellal needs help!" My screaming doesn't make me go slower, but instead speeds me up. I cover double the distance I normally would, virtually flying across the ground. I finally reach the doors to Fairy Tail and kick them open, not wanting to pull my hands away from Jellal even for a second.

"Are Wendy or Poluchka san here? Jellal needs medical attention now!" All conversation stops and all eyes are on me but I do not care in the slightest.

"What on earth happened?" Mira calls out as she rushes to me, evaluating Jellal's condition with her own eyes.

"There's no time to explain it! He doesn't have long! He needs help now!" I know I sound completely hysterical, but I can't help it. How could I sound any better when Jellal is dying in my arms?

"Ok then, we have to take him to the infirmary. Natsu and Gray! Go and get Poluchka san and bring her here. Wendy, I need you to give him emergency treatment until she arrives." Mira orders around the guild, when I see Wendy running over to help on her little legs I am insanely relieved, I'm really lucky there's someone like her in our guild. I carry Jellal into the infirmary and Wendy follows behind me, quietly chanting some sort of healing spell. When I enter the room I place Jellal as gently as possible on one of the beds, but even the gentlest I can manage makes his face cringe in pain. Mira walks over to me, blocking my view of Jellal.

"He's in a very critical condition Erza. I'm sorry but you're going to have to wait outside for a while, at least until Wendy has him in a stable condition. Ok?" Her voice is as sweet as always but I refuse to accept anything she's saying. I can't bear to watch someone I love so much be in this much pain, it hurts me so much to see him like this, but this pain is better than the pain of uncertainty. Better than having to wait outside and not know what's happening to him, only being able to rely on hopes and wishes. I try to state my wishes to Mira in a calm manner, but I'm still too hysterical. Everything I say just comes out in a slurred scream.

"Mira, I need to be here with him! I can't just sit out there and wait while Jellal's life is at risk in here!" As I yell I feel two pairs of arms on mine, I look behind me and see who owns them. Lucy and Juvia.

"I know this is hard Erza but you have to give Wendy some space to heal him, you can't be in there now." I know full well just how good Lucy's intentions for her words are, it is because she has these good intentions that I don't take my gut reflex and rip myself from her arms. Instead I stand still for a moment, thinking about everything her and Mira have said. I understand that I can't be in here, it's not like visitors are allowed in a hospital while someone's having surgery. But I want so desperately to be by his side. I feel my legs crumple beneath me as I fall to the ground, sitting on my knees in a heap. Tears run down my face as I sputter out words.

"I know I can't be there. But I need to be. What if, what if he." I can't go on. I'm worried that Jellal will die in this room. But I feel like if I say it out loud it will come true. That if I admit my worries they will happen. It's a stupid irrational worry but the fact that it's irrational doesn't stop the words getting stuck in my throat.

"What if he dies in there while I'm not there? What if I never get to say goodbye? Never tell him how much I love him before he's gone forever?" I cry out, not caring that people will find out I'm in love with Jellal. My feelings being kept a secret seems like such a trivial thing right now, in this situation. I feel the comforting weight of Lucy's hand on my arm, pulling me back up to my feet.

"He'll be fine Erza, I'm sure you're feelings will reach him and keep him alive." I wipe the tears from my eyes and nod at Lucy before letting her walk me away from the infirmary and back into the guild. I feel like a complete mess. My whole body is shaking, I sit down at the couch Lucy has brought me to and stare at the erratic movements my legs are making. I sit for what feels like days upon days, every now and then someone will say something to me. People try to comfort me, Lisanna and Elfman, Levy, Jet and Droy and everyone else too. But I'm not paying attention to their words. I'm barely even listening. My mind is too preoccupied right now. I think about every aspect of Jellal's situation. The depth of the wound, how long it's been since he was injured, how much extra movement he felt when I ran hear, how much Wendy can do for him, how long it will take Poluchka san to get here. There's too many variables, every one changing the ultimate answer of whether or not he'll be ok. I wish I could just burst into his room now, grab his hand and hold it tight, never letting him go. I want to go in there and tell him just how much I love him, tell him how every encounter we have ever have has just made me fall deeper and deeper for him. If only love could heal people. If it could, I would go in there, tell him every detail of the love I feel for him and as I talked his wounds would heal, his skin would stitch itself together and his eyes would open and stare into mine, reciprocating my love. I'm an idiot to even think such a ludicrous thought. But as much of an idiot I am, I still cling on the these thoughts, they're the only ones which can comfort me.

"Where is the patient? Tell me quick, I don't have all day to spend with_ humans_." My ears twitch when they hear the voice of the lady I have been waiting for desperately to arrive. I whip my head around and see an old woman with pink hair and a stern face. Poluchka san. Thank god she's finally here. I abandon my thoughts and rush over to where she is standing.

"He's in the infirmary. Please, I beg of you. Save him. I need him, I can't live without him. I probably seem inconceivably weak right now, begging for your help and relying on you so much. But as long as you save him I don't care. So please, don't let him die!" The tears I wiped away have started flowing again in thick little rivers down my cheeks, falling and splashing onto my lap. Poluchka san scowls, annoyed by my comment. Have I offended her or something?

"You don't need to beg me child. I'm not some evil witch, I'll heal your friend. And you don't need to worry, he'll have to try pretty hard to die if I'm the one treating him." Her words are laced with both annoyance and a tinge of compassion. I guess for all her talk of 'hating humans' and her tough front, she still cares about people after all. After she's finished talking she walks over to the infirmary, wanting to get to Jellal as soon as possible. I call out a thank you across the guild and her response is simply a hand wave, but it acknowledges what I've said, and reassures me that I really will have something to be thankful for when she's done.

**Jellal's POV:**

My eyes slowly open, but everything around me is still pretty hazy. I try to lift my head but I just can't do it, I don't have the strength to do even that. I know that I'm lying down somewhere and that someone must be treating me. Two people actually I think. All I can make out is blurry pink and blue shapes that I'm guessing are people's hair. The pain in my chest hasn't dissipated very much at all, but I can tell that it's at least a tiny bit better now. Even so, I feel like my heart is going to fall out of the gaping hole in my chest. I'm pretty sure the organ got punctured somehow, I can't see the injury, but I can feel the pain racing through my whole body and centralising in my heart. It must be working especially hard, I don't know what my normal heart rate would be but I'm sure it's at least doubled, maybe even tripled now. As I try to asses my injuries a surge of indescribable pain suddenly surges through my body. My fingers clench onto the bed sheets with all their might, trying to pull my attention away from the immobilising agony in my chest. My breath turn shallow and more frequent, my lungs gaping, yearning for air. I can do nothing to stop myself from screaming out when the pain gets too intense, when it's too much for me to handle. But no matter how intense it gets, no matter how loud I scream I somehow manage to endure it. I manage to hold on to the threads of life and grip them tight, swearing that I will not let go, that I won't let death take me, especially not without a fight. I have so much left to do in this world, I need to have my story book romance with Erza. I need to wait until the completely perfect moment when I know she'll reciprocate everything I say and I at that time I need to tell her my feelings, accept hers and give her the best kiss of her life. And after all that is over, after the hardest part is done with, then I'll be able to spend the rest of my life with her. I'll protect her and make sure harm never comes her way. It's my duty, my purpose. The one thing that I need to do, without fail. So I cling to the threads of life with all I've got, because I need to stay alive for her. I will not leave her alone. Pain spikes in my chest, my head thumps and thumps and thumps at a million miles an hour and I feel hotter than lava roasting on a fire. Bu all this pain is nothing, I can beat it. I will beat it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, I finished it! Originally I was planning on this being no longer than 10,000 words, maybe 15,000 if it was a bit longer. But then I just kept on adding things in and it ended up more than double that! Regardless, I really enjoyed writing this and hope the people who stuck around to the end enjoyed reading it as well! A quick note from me, the way I was writing it I kept thinking, 'This is going to end in a lemon, how do I make this not end with one?!' Because I'm quite sure I would not be able to write one! So that is why it ends before anything gets too serious, if you were wanting something like that please forgive me! :P But I'm far too shy to write something like that, even for strangers on the internet! Now I've rattled on too long so anyway, enjoy!**

**Erza's POV:**

It's been hours since I brought him into the infirmary. Every 5 minutes or so I hear another blood curdling scream from the voice I know so well. Every time he screams out I cover my ears, my faces cringes and I try to block it out, I try so hard to stop myself from hearing it but nothing I do helps. Despite all my efforts I still hear it every few minutes. And every time I hear the sound it's worse than the last, slowly becoming less like a human and more like the screams of an animal. Everyone in the guild is silent the whole time, sitting and trading whispered conversations with each other. They're talking about Jellal. I don't need to be able to hear them to know that. I can't take this anymore.

"I'm going outside." I state curtly as I stand up abruptly, walking towards the door before I'm even done talking. No one tries to stop me, they realise I'm not really in a condition to talk to them right now. I step out the guild door and feel a cool breeze as it plays its melody over my face, giving my skin tingles.

"It's ok Erza, it's going to be ok." I chant to myself in a hushed voice, trying to calm down. As the minutes pass by I pace back and forward relentlessly, feeling the need to do something, not being content with just sitting and waiting. By constantly keeping myself moving I can preoccupy myself at least a little bit. After about an hour I hear the squeaking sound of a door being opened and flick my head around to see who made the noise, my body filling with hope that they will bring good news.

"Erza, you can come see Jellal now." Mira says to me with a smile on her face that brings me an unstoppable rush of relief. I don't even reply before I am running inside the guild, dodging past people on my way before bursting into the infirmary, slamming the door open with no regard for the structural integrity of the building. I don't realise that I've been holding my breath until I see his face and breathe for the first time in minutes, letting go of all my fears and anxiety along with the breath of air.

"Jellal!" I scream out, not knowing what else to say before virtually launching myself at him, latching onto his chest and hugging him as hard as possible, crying into his bandages.

"E-erza. I know it's a relief to see me ok, but please, let go of me." Jellal just barely manages to struggle out in a course voice.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think, did I make your wounds open up again?" I blurt out in a worried tone, totally embarrassed that I acted with so little forward thinking and common sense. I feel terrible that I let my emotions take control of me and hurt him even more, after all the hardships he's been through.

"No, my wounds are fine. It was just a bit hard to breath with you holding on so tight. I'm still not quite 100%." I'm glad that I didn't hurt him too much, at least he can understand why I would act so hysterical. He may not know that I love him as more than a friend, but it's natural to get so worked up when a friend is injured, and then to be as relieved as I was when you see that they're ok.

"I'm glad to hear that. But just so you know, when you get better I will pay you back for making me worry so much. Trust me on that." I wipe away the lingering tears on my face and start to laugh just a little bit as I threaten Jellal. I would never seriously hurt him, but there's nothing wrong with teaching someone a little playful lesson. Two days ago I was hopelessly and unrequitedly in love with him. One day ago he and I kissed so passionately, not that he remembered any of it. And just hours ago he was within inches of death. But despite all this, I still find myself able to slip into the familiar rhythm I have with Jellal and just talk, joke and laugh like normal.

"What if I never get better? Can I avoid this payback of yours?" Jellal laughs back at me, having to pause to cough in the middle of his sentence. I feel a slight blush come to my face before I even talk.

"Well, if you say that you never will, then I will take care of you every day and force you to get better." What I say reminds me of just a couple days ago when I did just that for a cold ridden Jellal. The thing is though, when I took care of him then he wasn't really his regular self. Every one of his senses was clouded by sickness, so I was able to keep myself from being overly nervous and embarrassed. But right now nothing is inhibiting him from being just like normal, and so when I say something so embarrassing I can't help but blush. The only thing that is able to comfort me is the fact that my statement makes Jellal blush too, even if it is just a little bit red.

"I guess I have no choice but to get better then." He laughs out and I nod my head in agreement as I respond.

"I guess you do." I smile down at him, letting my eyes linger on his face for just a second before looking away. After a few moments of silence between the two of us Jellal clears his throat, clearly wanting to say something. But I can tell he's nervous about what he's about to say. What on earth could he be about to say to me?

"Anyway, Erza, I actually have something important to talk about. I'm not entirely sure how I should phrase this but, I have to let you know." He stumbles along, the more he says the more anxious I get. What is he trying to say? What is it that I have to know?  
"You know that I passed out pretty quickly after the demon got me, probably thanks to the rapid blood loss. And I remained unconscious the whole time we were going back to Fairy Tail. I don't know how long we had been in Fairy Tail when I finally regained consciousness, it couldn't have been long though since you were still carrying me. But I uh, I heard you. I heard almost everything you said." I feel my jaw drop in both surprise and mortification. He heard me. I desperately think back to every word I said. I remember screaming to Mira, that I had to be with him, that I was afraid of him dying before I could say goodbye. And before I could say I love you. Oh god, is that what he's talking about? It must be, he wouldn't bring it up if it wasn't. He knows, my secret is out. I open my mouth to speak but I can't even do that. I don't know how to react, I can't do it. I know what he's talking about, I can easily tell what particular things he heard from me. But I want to confirm it. I desperately want to confirm it.

"What-what is it that you heard?" I stutter out, red covering my face entirely. I can't believe this is happening!

"You said," He starts before pausing, finding it hard to say the words. "You said you didn't want me to die before you told me that you," Another pause, "That you love me." He finally gets it out, and my suspicions are proven correct.

"I,I,I,I." I can't even speak. I can't even think.

"I,I, I think you must have misheard something!" I try to laugh it off. "You were so far gone, you must have been hearing things!" I struggle to both laugh and talk at the same time, trying in a pathetic attempt to cover up my sheer mortification. I can't believe he heard that! What is he going to think of me now? I don't even want to think about how awkward our relationship has become, but of course that's how it's become! That's what happens when one person confesses their hopelessly unrequited love.

"Erza please, don't just laugh this off. I want you to be serious, what you said, did you mean it?" I can't say it, I can't bring myself to do it.

**Jellal's POV:**

"Erza please, don't just laugh this off. I want you to be serious, what you said, did you mean it?" I ask her, desperate for an answer. I need to know, more than anything else I need to know. I look into Erza's face as I wait for her response. I can clearly see distress rippling through her face, which is now almost entirely a deep red colour. I notice her hands twitching by her side, a tell-tale sign of extreme nervousness. And then I notice that my own hands are doing exactly the same thing. That's to be expected though, I can literally feel every beat of my heart, speeding up with every second that passes. My anticipation and anxiety rises exponentially as I wait for her answer, the answer that will either make the happiest man in the world, or the most emotionally destroyed one.

"Even if you ask me that, I, I can't just come straight out and say it." She whispers into her hand, now covering her mouth, a motion I see as incredibly and impossibly adorable. Usually I would never be able to get enough of this adorable Erza, but right now I can't waste time doting over her cuteness. I want her to be serious with me.

"Please Erza, just tell me, yes or no." I beg of her, my voice cracking slightly as I do. Her face contorts even more, I can imagine the cogs in her brain spinning and spinning, trying to decide what to say. She brings her other free hand up to her face and covers her mouth with that hand as well, just before she whispers into it at such a low volume that I can't make out anything. All I hear is a low hum.

"Yes." As soon as she says it she flips her head down, staring at the floor in embarrassment, but I have no clue whether what she's said.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you, what did you say?" She slowly raises her head again, looking me straight in the eye.

"...Yes." One word. Only one world. I barely hear it this time as well, but no matter how soft it is what matters is that I heard it. She said yes. She said yes. I feel my skin getting hotter and hotter and know that the both of our faces now match.

"Yes? You said... yes?" I ask, simply unable to say anything else, shock taking control of my body. I wanted to know so desperately, and I hoped with every fibre of my being that her answer would be yes. But now that she's actually said it I'm happy beyond words, and more importantly: happy beyond an ability to actually react.

"Are you going to make me say it again? It's embarrassing enough as it is! Yes! Ok! I love you…" She whispers the last part barely loud enough for me to hear, but I hear it all the same. I don't even stop to think, even if I did my mind wouldn't be of much use to me right now. There is only one thing on my mind right now and that is Erza. Within a second of her finishing talking I am already sitting up, pushing my battered body to its limits and ignoring the searing pain in all of my limbs. My arms wrap themselves around her body and I pull her close to me, her face buried in my chest. The tighter I hold her the more my body protests, but I take no heed of my body's pain. Right now, it's not important.

"Jellal? What are you-?" She questions me, obviously confused. I silence her before she can finish, crushing my lips against hers, feeling every part of their moist surface. Her words turn into a surprised gasp as our lips first make contact, but as I continue to move my lips around hers the gasps are abandoned and instead she warms up to the kiss, focusing only on moving her lips to meet my own at every turn. I feel my lips more prominently than I ever have before, I can't believe this is happening. Right here, right now, I am kissing Erza Scarlet. THE Erza Scarlet, the woman I have longed after for almost my entire life. I never want this to end. I raise my hands and tangle them in the beautiful lengths of her hair, using the grip to bring her even closer to me, our faces practically melding into each other. As I use all my strength to pull Erza from her seated position to lying on top of me both my legs and my arms shoot with pain, but just like before I couldn't care less about it. I ignore it completely and focus myself entirely on Erza. We're touching everywhere, I can feel every dip and curve of her body pushing into me, moving against me in a perfect rhythm. I break away from the kiss, only so that I can catch my breath before quickly diving back into her mouth, plunging my tongue into its depths. Our tongues both dance together, twisting and turning like a completely memorizing melody. I feel her hands on my chest, bunching in my shirt before lifting it up and sliding under. Every part of my chest lights up like a blazing fire as she touches it, my attention being spilt between the amazing kiss I am sharing with her and the stimulation racing across my chest.

"Jellal, I need to do a quick check up on your woun- oh god! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" And with that, the moment is broken. Wendy runs from the room as fast as her tiny little legs will take her, a blush raging on her embarrassed face. Out of everyone in Fairy Tail, did it have to be her? The most innocent person in the whole place? At the sound of her voice Erza and I both looked up immediately, and a second later we broke apart, Erza flying back into her chair and me lying back down on my bed. But it was too late, she saw us and is probably scarred for life now. Great. I look awkwardly at Erza, not quite sure how to act after… that.

"What, what was that?" Erza pants out while trying to catch her breath. I open my mouth to speak but every word comes with a struggle, I tell myself; she's told you she loves you. If you tell her your feelings now she won't reject you, she'll accept your words. But knowing this doesn't make it any easier. A confession is a hell of a hard thing after all.

"Erza, I." Come on Jellal, you can do this. Why are you even hesitating you idiot? Say it! "I love you!" I scream it out, uncharacteristically loud, I said it. I did it! And now that I've actaully managed to start I find that I can't stop myself anymore. "I always have. The first time I ever laid eyes on you I was amazed. I wanted to look at you forever, to feel your beautiful scarlet hair in my fingers and feel your lips on mine and tell you all the feelings I've ever kept bottled up inside myself." Words just keep tumbling out, the words I have wanted to let loose for so long but have never been able to do before this moment. This perfect moment. A smile forces its way to Erza's face, lighting up her eyes and showing her shining teeth.

"I've always wanted to tell you that, but I never ever had the courage. I never even came close to being able to. But then I heard you. I was lying there dying, everything in my world was a complete haze and nothing made sense. But the one thing I understood was the words coming out of your mouth; "I love him." You wouldn't, no, you couldn't possibly believe how happy those words made me. They gave me the courage to, well, to do what I just did. To ask you about your feelings and to show you mine. I love you Erza Scarlet, and I always will." I let it all out and it feels amazing. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my heart. A weight as heavy as ten elephants and 100 whales and a million tonnes. Tears pool in Erza's eyes and start to overflow, streaming down her face. Her face is filled only with happiness, and I can tell that her tears are of happiness.

"Jellal, I, I can't believe it. I'm, I'm so happy!" She beams at me, her joy so strong that I feel like I could touch it if I reached out my hand. All of a sudden she launches herself at me again, pulling me into a wonderfully warm embrace. It's a bit different from before, it's less desperate and hungry. Before it felt like we were devouring each other with every kiss, but now with her in my arms and me in hers it just feels… sweet.

"I love you too Jellal, I just, I shouldn't be allowed to love someone this much. It shouldn't be possible." She cries out to me in between tears, raising her head from my chest and smiling up at me. I feel so perfect in this moment, with the most beautiful girl I have ever seen here in my arms, holding me tight and telling me she loves me. I find myself sharing the same sentiment as her. It shouldn't be possible to be so happy right now, I can't possibly deserve all this. But somehow it's true. By some strange turn of fate I am here now with Erza and my world has gotten a million times brighter.

"I think I feel the same way. It's kind of hard to believe that after all this time you're actually here, in my arms." I say down to her, looking into her eyes and almost losing myself in their depths. She smiles back at me, and instead of replying she just snuggles her head closer into my chest, accepting my words. God I love her.

**Erza's POV:**

My hand strokes methodically through the strands of Jellal's hair as he sleeps. We sat together for hours, after we both confessed and all was said and done, I was so content, so perfectly happy with my situation that I didn't need words, and I'm pretty sure Jellal felt the same. And so, I sat with him and just clung to him, holding him close, just wanting to feel his heat and his pressure to remind me that this is real, that everything that happened wasn't just a dream. He feel asleep after about two hours, his injury ridden body completely exhausted. But even after he fell asleep I didn't leave his side. I stayed and watched hi and treasured every moment. I take my hand away from his hair to feel the beating within my chest, gradually slowing down, beating to a continuous rhythm. When I hear a slight knock on the door I turn around and listen.

"Um, excuse me. I'm sorry but I need to come in." Wendy sounds so innocent. I still feel kind of bad for her, making her watch that scene play out in front of her. She's still just a little girl, we probably managed to scar her for life, and now knocking and calling out to make sure she doesn't have to witness the same thing again. I feel bad for her, but I still really want to tease her.

"Just a second Wendy! We've got to put some clothes on!" I call out while standing up silently. The affect is almost instant. It's as if I can feel the heat from her blush even through the door.

"I'm sorry! I'll, I'll come back later! I'm sorry!" She yells out in embarrassment. I hear her turn on her heels to leave and open the door, so she can see us both fully clothed and Jellal asleep over in the opposite side of the room.

"I, I, what?" The poor girl can barely even talk now, I wonder if I was too mean after all. I give her a wicked smile before bursting into laughter.

"I'm sorry Wendy! I shouldn't have teased you, I just couldn't help myself!" Her face changes from embarrassment to shock and back to embarrassment within seconds.

"So, y-you two weren't really…" She pauses, trying to find less explicit words. "You weren't really n-n-naked? Doing, um, t-things?" She stumbles along her words as she tries her very hardest to talk without stuttering. But despite her efforts, it doesn't really work.

"No Wendy, we weren't." I say playfully, relief flowing over her innocent face as I do.

"Why would you tease me like that Erza?" Wendy asks me in a questioning tone. I pick up a bit of animosity from her, but it's only a tiny, little bit. She's really not the type to hold a grudge.

"I'm sorry Wendy, I just felt like I couldn't waste such a good opportunity." I say with a smile. "But anyway, Jellal's asleep right now but you can go ahead and do whatever it is you need to do." It seems that all I needed for Wendy to be on perfectly friendly terms on me again was a simple apology. Yeah, she is definitely not the type to hold a grudge. She quickly murmurs off to me in confirmation before skipping past me and by Jellal's bed, a memorizing green-ish light emanating from her hands.

"I've never seen it up close before, but is that your healing magic?" I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me. Wendy looks genuinely happy from my interest and starts rattling off all the details about her healing magic, why it's coloured green, how it's related to dragon slayer magic, the whole lot. After about 10 minutes of this I decide I've learnt enough for one day and excuse myself, leaving Wendy alone to do what she does best; heal people. But before I leave I make sure to thank her and thank her profusely for everything she's done, making her fully aware how grateful I am to her. If she wasn't a member of Fairy Tail she would never have been here when I burst through the doors so dramatically, there would have been no one I could rely on to save him. I really am grateful to Wendy beyond words, and I make sure she knows that. I wait outside for a while and this time when people come up to talk to me I accept their conversations with a happy tone and a smile. Even if they hadn't already been told that Jellal has turned out ok, I'm pretty sure anyone could tell the progression of his condition just through the tell tale signs I am showing off to everyone. When I thought he was dying I was absolutely terrified that he would leave me, that I would lose him forever. So as you could imagine I wasn't the most amiable of people at that time, when all I could do was wait and pray. But now even someone as dumb as Natsu could notice the drastic change in my demeanour and realise that Jellal is in fact ok now, that his life is safe. After about 10 minutes Wendy comes out and lets me know that she's all done, for now at least. While he might be in a stable position now, I can't really keep saying that Jellal is 'ok'. He won't die, but he still needs regular treatment, and will for at least a few days more, but more likely for at least a week. And so for the next 7 days, I spend my time alternating between sitting by Jellal's side and sitting out in the main guild hall with all my precious friends while Wendy works her life saving magic. Jellal and I use the time to talk we get together about all kinds of things. Both of us asking why on earth the other never confessed their feelings, and both of us spouting off the same excuse. Everything up till this point just seems so trivial now, me trying to hide the incredibly strong feelings I had for Jellal. Denying myself a chance at love with him, effectively denying myself happiness. Now that I know Jellal has been doing the exact same thing, for the same reason and for just as long as I have, it really does seem to make all my efforts unimportant. When both of us meet this realisation, we can't help ourselves but laugh, both at ourselves and each other. I can't believe it, for two people as strong as us we really aren't very good with dealing with people and feelings. And we're definitely lacking in the confidence area. But I'm sure that together, we can amass enough confidence to do anything.

"So Erza, how should we break this to the guild? I mean, other than Wendy nobody knows about us yet, so we probably should at least tell them." Jellal drawls up at me as he breaks away from our lazy, summer afternoon kiss. I think about his proposal for a good minute or two, wondering what is the best thing for us to do.

"Do we really have to tell them? Won't it be troublesome if people like Natsu or Happy find out?" I reply, but without that much conviction. I'm not really sure what I want to do, I can definitely see some bad outcomes of this, a few freak outs and overreactions from some people, who, not naming any names, aren't the brightest flame in the fire. But then again, wouldn't it be best to tell everyone after all? Fairy Tail is my family after all, I should be able to share this kind of thing with them. I'm just about to start talking again but Jellal beats me to it.

"I can definitely see them taking news like this kind of overboard. But I still think we should tell them. Fairy Tail's been your family for years, and I hope that some day I'll be able to truly call it my own as well. Shouldn't well be able to share this kind of stuff with our family?" He says everything I was just thinking, and I am amazed at how in-sync we are. There really is no doubt in my mind that Jellal is most definitely the only one for me. Especially when he goes and does stuff like this.

"You're right, we should be able to tell them. I guess I'm just a bit nervous, you know?" I say to him, revealing my slightly more vulnerable side. Usually I would hate to admit a weakness like this, but I just feel so comfortable with Jellal, I know he won't judge me.

"It's ok to be nervous, but remember that I'll be right there next to you, so I can assure you that it'll be ok." He reassures me, all the whilst grabbing my hand with his own and using it to pull himself up. I can hear him groan in pain for a second as he gets up, but it's not a sound filled with anything like the pain he felt on the first day. I's the kind of groan someone might make when they stub their toe or get an ant bite. It's really not serious, so while he still gets little pains every now and then, after 7 days of on and off healing, he's pretty much entirely back to normal, which is something I'm eternally grateful for.

**Jellal's POV:**

Erza and I walk out of the infirmary and into the main guild hall hand in hand, both nervous and excited to tell the guild our news. When I look over at her I can tell she's feeling just like I am. Insanely nervous about how the guild will take the news about our relationship, but also incredibly excited to be able to share this momentous occasion in our lives with the friends closest to us. As I scan the room for faces I see many familiar ones, Meldy over in a corner talking with Lucy, Mira, Cana and Juvia. Gray, Natsu, Gajeel and Elfman all partaking in some sort of heated argument. Over in another corner Jet and Droy are arguing over who was most helpful to Levy in the last mission, until Levy points out that all either of them actually did was hide in some bushes and let Gajeel take care of everything. I guess all the stories you hear are true, there really is never a dull moment in Fairy Tail.

"Everyone, Jellal and I have something we want to tell you all." Erza's voice booms through the room, cutting through all the conversations and arguments and bringing silence to every member of the guild. All eyes turn to us, curiosity piquing in each individual face.

"What is it Erza? And make it quick, Lucy and I need to hurry up and head out for our next mission!" Natsu yells from the other side of the room, Lucy, who is standing right next to him, elbows him in the stomach. Making him double over having the air knocked out of him.

"I thought I told you I wasn't going to go on a mission with you today! You've been taking jobs left, right and centre lately, I need a break every once in a while you know!" She yells back at him, forgetting all about Erza and I.

"But Lucy! This job is perfect for you! The person requesting it said they'd double the reward if the person taking the job is a blonde girl dressed up in a maid outfit!" Natsu whines back at her, trying to convince her to go on the mission with him, but only managing to anger her further.

"So you just want to use me as the decoy again! Is that the only reason you decided to be on a team with me after all?" She spits back at him, her voice filled with venom. But even that isn't enough to deter Natsu, he was always too stubborn for his own good.

"We'll split the pay and everything! Happy and I will both get half and you can have everything that's left! The original reward is 80,000… so double that is 160,000. Take away Happy and my shares… that's like 50,000! Almost enough for your rent!" I can't help but think how dumb Natsu is, how is it that someone who can fight so well can't even do simple math? I don't think I'll ever know.

"It comes down to 0 you idiot!" Lucy yells as she hits Natsu over the head with all her might. I get the feeling that I should probably stop this, but before I can Erza is already storming over to Natsu. I guess I really shouldn't have expected any less.

"Natsu, I said we have something to tell you all, are you really just going to ignore me?" Her voice comes out strained, clearly annoyed. I, along with everyone else in the guild, can tell her patience is at an end. She only stops walking towards Natsu once she is a mere metre away, and when she stops her hand reaches out and grabs Natsu's shirt by the collar, pulling him into the air so that he hovers helplessly just about the ground. That sheer power of intimidation is definitely something I love about her, but at the same time I am immensely glad that Natsu is the butt of her intimidation, and not me. Speaking of Natsu, he is now cowering in fear under Erza's arm, for once knowing when it is time to give up.

"I'm sorry Erza! I'll listen to what you have to say!" He whimpers up at her in a very rare show of maturity. Maybe he's grown up a little in the time since I've seen him last. He's clearly still the same immature boy I knew, but he's changed at least a little. His apology seems to work on Erza. She puts down a very scared Natsu and lets go of his shirt, turning around and walking back to me. I half expect Natsu to yell something back at her, but he stays silent. Thank god for that.

"Thank you Natsu, I'm glad I didn't have to force you to listen." She says while cracking her knuckles, a menacing look on her face. Yep, I'm definitely glad I'm on her good side.

"Anyway, we have some pretty big news that we wanted to tell you all, but we're not sure how everyone will take it. So before we say anything I want everyone to promise they won't overreact." Personally I think Erza's efforts right now are all for naught, the people here may agree not to overreact, but I find myself thinking that when it comes down to it, they won't be able to stop themselves. But oh well, if Erza wants to make them promise it now then I won't stand in her way. A chorus of acceptances flow through the room, everyone says it a differently, but they all agree to keep the promise. The look on Erza's face shows just a little bit of her nervousness leave her as her guild members make the promise, but she still looks incredibly nervous about the whole thing. I take a step forward so I am now in line with Erza and laced my fingers in hers, connecting us by the hand. At first she's surprised, but after a second she calms down, my touch having the desired effect and giving her the resolution she needs to come out to the guild and tell them our little secret.

"Well, here goes nothing." She says, half to herself and half to the guild. "Jellal and I, we're a couple now!" Her voice is shaky at first, barely able to make audible sounds. But after she's started it's as if she's already embarrassed, even though all she's said is; Jellal and I. And so, she screams out the rest in her mortification. Her face somehow already shining red. Over the last week or so I have found out that Erza blushes very easily, but then again, I guess I'm the same way too.

"I l-love him and he l-l-loves me too, so we're going out! And if anyone has any complaints about us, I won't listen to them!" Her resolve shines through the guild as she screams out, we have the attention of the entire guild, but after that, it would be even weirder if we didn't. I feel like I should be contributing somehow to this, so far Erza has been the only one to say anything. I'm not as vocal as her, and definitely not as loud, but I feel like I should express myself as well.

"What she's saying, it's all true. I really do love her, she's the one for me guys." I say to the guild, telling them all the things I usually keep bottled inside, and whilst doing so not even worrying about it. If Erza can scream out to the guild so passionately, then I can do the same, well, the same without all the yelling. I should be comfortable enough around these people to tell them these things anyway, they are my new family after all.

It feels so good to have everything out in the open, both Erza and I look into each others eyes and know that we've done the right thing. We both love each other so much, just being together make us so happy. It would be a crime for us not to share our happiness with the people closest to us.

"Wait a minute, weren't you two always a couple?" Murmurs start in all corners of the room, the first one belonging to Mirajane. Everyone is whispering something different, but most of what is said falls under two categories, either; I thought they were already dating. Or 2; Oh, they're finally dating? I don't really get why that's what people are whispering, why on earth would they already think we're a couple?

"Of course we weren't a couple Erza! I only told him I like him a week ago!" Erza yells out defensively, getting fired up from all the comments circulating in the room. Everything someone says just adds fuel to the flame, and for every whisper cast out Erza bites without fail. Her various screams echo through the gym; 'No, we weren't a couple before!', 'What's with that attitude? Why are you acting like you knew about this before me?' , 'No Natsu you idiot, being a couple doesn't mean that we have two heads! How would you even think of something that absurd anyway?' The constant back and forth goes on for minutes, before I finally step in to stop it.

"Ok everyone, you've had your fun but can't we all just calm down and stop asking questions? If you all ask in an orderly fashion I'm sure we'll be able to answer you." I raise my voice higher than I normally would, making it so that I alone can be heard over the buzz of conversation. The first one to speak after me is Mira, a questioning tone in her voice.

"I thought you two were already a couple, haven't you been together ever since Jellal got broken out of jail, or was it before that, during the whole Nirvana fiasco?" The first half of her question seems to be directed at us, but as she continues she sees to be less asking us something and more talking to herself. Regardless, I try to answer as best as I can without letting a total blush force its way onto my face.

"Well, if you want the truth, ever since I first met Erza I was head over heels for her, but just because I liked her didn't mean she liked me back, or so I thought anyway. And so I never asked her out, she never asked me out, we were both too scared to, so we were never a couple before a week ago, no." I do manage to tell everyone the truth, but I fail miserably at trying to keep my blush at bay, the moment I start talking about when I first met Erza I am as red as red can be. More people ask us questions, pretty much the same things they were saying before, but instead of yelling out at the same time they are taking turns. Which is obviously an improvement. After the questions come the congratulations, and everyone has to say it. By the time everything is done and Erza and I can finally leave the guild it's been at least an hour.

"Well, that was hectic. Still think it was the right thing to do?" Erza looks over at me as we walk, on our way to her house. It's my first night being able to leave the infirmary, and with the way things have been going since I got here what with catching a cold right next to Erza's house and sleeping there, and then proceeding to sleep at Fairy Tail for the next week or so, I haven't had any opportunity to get a place for myself. So for tonight, and until I get my own place, I'll be staying with Erza. And maybe in a little while, I'll be staying there forever. A man can dream after all.

"The worst part was trying to convince people that we only started going out last week, it seems they had all accepted us as a couple long before we did. So yes, I think it was the right choice." I say decisively, having confidence in my answer. Erza nods in agreement with me, and for a few minutes we walk in a calm silence. But then all of a sudden Erza makes a tiny gasp, all of a sudden remembering something.

"What is it?" I ask her, worried she's forgotten something major.

"The video! I should show you the video from the party!" Her sudden outburst confuses me, and I don't even bother trying to hide it.

"But I already saw the video from the party. And god it was embarrassing, are you really going to make me watch it again?" Just talking about it brings back memories of the video I watched the morning after my first Fairy Tail party, a video featuring me very drunk, and very embarrassing. I do not want to, and will not go through the strain of watching that again.

"No, not that one! There was another one that I took, a more… personal one. But anyway, you'll know what I mean when you see it, I was thinking if I showed it to you we could pick up where it left off, now that you're all healed up and everything." Another video of that night? I'm already dreading it just from that fact, but when she talks about how it's a more personal video I can feel shivers running up my spine. Just what kind of video could it be for her to describe it like that?

"I'm kind of worried, what kind of video is it that you're talking about?" I ask, before quickly realising something and adding it to my question. "And why does it matter that I'm healed up?" My question gains an instant laugh from Erza, but I fail to see the humour.

"You'll see." Is all she says, before closing her lips and refusing to open the again until we get to her house. Leaving me to my imagination to ponder just what on earth I'm in for.

**Erza's POV:**

Jellal's reaction was instant the moment I started the video, the second one from the Fairy Tail which recorded every detail of our… with lack of a more delicate term, make out session. The looks on his face are priceless, he looks absolutely mortified, his face reaching shades I didn't even think possible. By the time the video comes to its end I'm afraid he's actually going to pass out.

"I, I, when I was drunk I did t-that to you? That was actually me?" He stutters out shyly and utterly adorably. Sure, I love how strong he is, and how he can protect me no matter what. But damn if I don't love this cute side if him just as much.

"That was you Jellal, granted, a very drunk you." His mouth opens and closes a few times without any sound before he actually responds.

"So you remembered all that happening and just didn't tell me? All this time you've known about this and I've been kept in the dark?" He sounds so distressed over the fact that I've had the memories of this night for all this time while all he could patch together were a few drunken moments of dancing and yelling caught on camera. But I know he doesn't actually blame me for it, he's not actually annoyed at me.

"I remembered everything Jellal, and don't ask me why I didn't tell you. Trust me, now, it would just sound stupid." Instead of trying to speak a reply, he just nods in agreement with me, taking my word about the explanation for my deceit.

"But anyway, that's not the important part. I should be the one asking you the questions you know, here's one for you, why would you tease me like that? How could you stop there?" I drawl out seductively, climbing off my chair and onto Jellal's lap, his eyes widening in shock.  
"Erza! What are yo-?" He calls out in shock, but I put my finger to his lips before he can finish.

"Shhh Jellal, I told you before didn't I? We're going to pick up where we left off." With those words I lift my finger from his mouth and replace it with my own, kissing him hard and rough and with all my passion. The extra weight I add to the chair puts it over the edge, the strain pushing down on it too hard. The screws holding it together snap and burst out, the chair collapsing underneath us and leaving us a pile on the floor, but I won't be deterred by something like that. I let go of Jellal's lips so that I can both remove the shattered remains of the chair from underneath us, and also so that I can catch my breath lost from both the fall and the kiss. Once everything is out of the way I turn back to Jellal, looking absolutely irresistible splayed out underneath me.

"So, where were we?" I virtually purr down at him, his earlier reservations seem to have disappeared entirely, he's the one who leans up and captures my lips, initiating the kiss.

"Before I go any further," He pants out between kisses. "I just want to say one thing; I love you Erza Scarlet." It's just what I need to hear, the perfect thing for him to say. I prop myself up on my elbows and pull my lips away from his so that I can speak as well, but I talk quickly, I can't bear to part myself from him for very long.

"I love you too Jellal Fernandes, now and forever." I smile down at him quickly before bringing my lips back to his, everything about this is just so perfect it's hard for me to believe. After all this time, here I am on top of the man I love about to do anything I want with him. As I look at the person below me I am entirely 100% sure that I am the luckiest person alive.


End file.
